Marghera

History

Before the construction of the port and the residential district, the area was mostly marshy, known as Bottenighi. Its only streets were Via Catene, which continued from Via del Parroco to Chirignago, and Via Bottenigo, which from Via Catene disappeared into the salt marsh. Where Via Fratelli Bandiera is today, there was a large drainage canal (of which the current road was the embankment) that reached the Malcontenta; it was part of the hydraulic complex consisting of the large levee, built in the 14th century, which collected the waters of the Brenta Vecchia and other waterways south of the Canal Salso and diverted them away from Venice, through the mouth of the Brenta Resta d'Aio (near Fusina). The toponym "Marghera" (formerly "Malghera") instead referred to a small village located on the banks of the Canal Salso, in today's San Giuliano di Mestre. It consisted of a few houses, a church, and several warehouses intended to serve as a customs post along the aforementioned canal for goods bound for and from Venice. In 1805, the Habsburg Empire decided to build a large defensive complex on the site of the village, razing it to the ground but keeping its name. Forte Marghera, which still exists today, was the inspiration for the choice of name for the new residential neighborhood and adjacent industrial area in the 1920s. At the beginning of the 20th century Venice's existing port at Bacino San Marco was incapable of servicing large modern ships. A new port was constructed at the western end of Venice at Stazione Marittima, but it became clear that if industry was developed in its immediate vicinity it would negatively impact on the historical city and tourism. As a result, by 1917 – during the First World War – the Italian government decided to develop an industrial…

Most-observed species

• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  4,017
• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,382
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  2,245
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,233
• Great Cormorant/European Shag

  Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,128
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,923
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,774
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,346

Most recent

• M 4.1 — 2023-10-28
  2 km SSW of Bagnolo di Po, Italy
• M 3.9 — 2023-10-25
  0 km S of Ficarolo, Italy
• M 4.6 — 2020-12-29
  0 km NNW of Nogara, Italy
• M 4.3 — 2020-07-13
  9 km SSW of Forni di Sotto, Italy
• M 3.5 — 2015-05-15
  1 km SSE of Mosnigo, Italy
• M 3.5 — 2015-05-12
  1 km ENE of Vidor, Italy