ROYAL PALACE OF MILAN

Description

Essentials about the Royal Palace of Milan in brief

Right next to Milan Cathedral is another important sight of the Lombard metropolis: the Royal Palace (it. “Palazzo Reale”). For a long period of time, the government of Milan had its seat here. Today, the Palazzo Reale is an important cultural center whose numerous rooms are used for modern and contemporary art as well as fashion and design exhibitions.

The history of the Royal Palace of Milan

The Royal Palace of Milan has its origins in the Middle Ages, when it was built under the name of “Palazzo del Broletto Vecchio” as the seat of government of the city of Milan. During the reign of Francesco Sforza, a section of the princely palace was demolished to make more room for the construction of the neighboring Milan Cathedral.

With the decline of Sforza rule, France took control of Milan and moved the lordly seat from Sforza Castle to the Palazzo Reale. In a devastating fire in 1723, the representation halls of the Royal Palace were destroyed. After the Habsburgs came to power, the Royal Palace was rebuilt and from then on served as the seat of the Austrian government in the Duchy of Milan. After the unification of Italy under the Savoy family, the palace was elevated to their city residence. After the end of World War I and the end of the Kingdom of Italy, the palace fell to the Italian state.

In the 1930s, the palace was “trimmed” one more time. A wing about 60 meters long was sacrificed for the construction of the fascist Palazzo dell’Arengario. During bombing raids in World War II, the palace suffered severe damage, which has been completely restored only since the turn of the millennium.

Visiting the Royal Palace of Milan

Today the Royal Palace can be visited. The tour takes visitors through the palace’s four historical eras, from the Theresian period to the Napoleonic era, the restoration and the unification of Italy. In addition, the palace premises are used for various fashion and design exhibitions. Last but not least, one wing of the palace houses the Cathedral Museum.