Mole Antonelliana. talent and ambition

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The symbol of the city can be an event, a historical character or a legend. But most often a symbol is called an architectural object. The stone resists the pressure of time well. Structures made of this material become a symbol of the city for centuries - the Roman Colosseum, the Moscow Kremlin, the Maiden's Tower in Baku. For Turin, Mole Antonelliana has become such a symbol.

New architecture

The 19th century is called the "neo" era. Alteration and rethinking touched all areas of activity. The traditional directions of literature, music, philosophy in the nineteenth century receive the prefix "neo". Architecture is not left out. Neoclassical and neo-Gothic buildings are popping up all over Europe.

The first archaeological excavations in Greece and Italy have brought architects back to antiquity. Interest in the principles of construction of ancient architects underlies neoclassicism. The purity of lines, respect for proportions, elegant and light decor, sophisticated color palette - all this can be seen in the buildings of Europeanarchitects.

A new look at the traditions of medieval architecture led to the emergence of the Neo-Gothic style. Soaring columns, light arches, stained-glass windows and openwork stucco, frame vault - in a new reading, we see all these elements in the appearance of many European cities.

The Turin Tower is a unique structure that harmoniously connected competing directions.

Alessandro Antonelli

The Italian architect in each of his projects challenged the professional community and the townsfolk. Having been educated in Milan and Turin, he further improved his skills in Rome. Developed the functional principles of architecture in urban planning. As a member of the Community Council of Turin and the province of Novara, he actively translated his ideas into reality as the author of the planned development projects of Ferrara and Novara. The most famous works are: the Cathedral of Novara, the Basilica of St. Gaudenzio in Novara and Mole Antonelliana in Turin.

"Impossible" architecture

Almost all of Antonelli's creations have the characteristic "the most". The tallest building in the city, the tallest brick structure in Europe - this is how the architect built it.

But there is also "Piece of Polenta" - the strangest residential building in the world. The architect, accustomed to large-scale projects, who accidentally got into the ownership of a small triangular plot of land, did not arouse enthusiasm. Negotiate with neighbors to buy their plots to increase the areaconstruction failed. And then Alessandro Antonelli, according to some evidence, having made a bet, proceeds to the construction of a multi-storey residential building. Completed in 1884, the building has 2 underground foundation floors and 7 floors on the surface. The trapezoid-shaped house was called by the locals "a piece of polenta", ignoring the official name. Dimensions of the "piece": 17 m along the long side of the trapezoid, wide base - 4.3 m, narrow - 54 cm, floor area - 36.5 sq. m. Casa Scaccabarozzi is included in all travel guides to Italy in the "What to see in Turin" section.

History of Mole

The most famous creation of the master, bearing his name, was created as a result of the struggle between the customer and the artist. During the period of rapid construction of Turin, the Jewish community entered into an agreement with Alessandro Antonelli for the construction of the main synagogue of the city. The architect's ambitions did not allow him to stay within the allocated budget, the final estimate exceeded the planned one by almost three times.

During the construction process, the project changed several times. The Jewish community refused to cooperate when it became clear that the final version not only exceeded the initial version by 100 m, but also did not correspond at all to the architectural canons of synagogue construction. The Neo-Gothic spire made the building look like a Catholic cathedral. Work resumed after the municipality of Turin bought the "unfinished" building, providing the community with another site for the synagogue.

90-year-old Alessandro personally supervised the construction, before he livedless than a year before graduation. In 1889, the construction of the building with a height of 167.5 m, including a 47-meter spire, was completed. Mole Antonelliana has become the tallest brick building in Europe.

Symbol only

The unique building, visible from anywhere in the city, which has become a symbol of Turin, turned out to be of little use. The practical use of the building was found only in 1909. A museum of the Italian liberation movement, the Risorgimento Museum, was opened there. In 1938 it was transferred to the Palazzo Carignano. Mole Antonelliana has again remained only a symbol - a beautiful view on a tourist postcard.

In 1961, after a hurricane, the building underwent a deep reconstruction. The fallen spire was restored, the dome and walls were strengthened from the inside with reinforced concrete and steel structures. Brickwork remained only on the outside of the dome. The symbol of the city, depicted on the 2-cent Italian coin, worked as an observation deck. The views of Turin from the dome of the failed synagogue and the former museum were magnificent.

Cinema Museum

Found a practical use for the building only in 2000. And again there is a museum - the National Museum of Cinema. Despite the epithet "national", the museum's exhibitions tell in detail the world history of cinema: from the first moving projection apparatus to artifacts of modern filmmaking.

Most of the exposition is devoted to the art of photography. There are sections showing in detail all the stages of film production, interactive rooms in which the secrets of optics are revealed. A huge collection of posters and movie posters from different times. Numerous movie screens show footage from legendary films.

You can visit the museum and the observation deck from 9:00 to 22:00 at the address: Via Montebello, 20, Turin, Italy.