SFORZA CASTLE

Description

Essentials about Sforza Castle in brief

Next to the cathedral, Sforza Castle is undoubtedly the second highlight of a visit to Milan. The fortress complex is not only impressive from an architectural point of view, but its history is also a reflection of Milan’s eventful history. Today, Sforza Castle houses various municipal collections and museums, such as a sculpture and furniture collection, an archaeological museum, a painting gallery, a museum of arts and crafts, a collection of musical instruments, a museum of prints and the last (unfinished) sculpture by Michelangelo.

Museums and exhibitions in Sforza Castle

Sforza Castle today houses various municipal collections. The Corte Ducale is home to the Museo d’Arte Antica, which mainly exhibits sculptures from antiquity to the Renaissance. The wooden sculptures and a collection of furniture reaching up to the present are displayed in common rooms. The tour also includes the Sala delle Asse with Leonardo da Vinci’s ceiling frescoes and a collection of weapons.

The Corte Ducale also houses the Egyptian collection of the Archaeological Museum and the Pinacoteca, a gallery of more than 200 Italian paintings from the 15th to the 18th centuries by such masters as Giovanni Bellini, Antonio da Correggio, Filippo Lippi, Andrea Mantegna, Antonello da Messina, Titian and Tintoretto.

The Museo delle arte decorative displays the history of arts and crafts in the Rocchetta, as well as a collection of musical instruments. The Raccolta della Stampe Achille Bertarelli, a huge collection on the history of printmaking shows special exhibitions from its holdings in the wing to the west of the Filarete Tower, with a changing thematic selection. And last but not least, a separate museum room is dedicated to the Pietà Rondanini from 1553-1564, the last unfinished sculpture by Michelangelo.

The history of Sforza Castle

Sforza Castle has had a very eventful history. Over the centuries it has been used both as a defensive castle and military barracks and as a residence and seat of museums and cultural institutions.

The predecessor of the Sforza Castle was a castle built under the nobleman Galeazzo Visconti in the mid-14th century under the name “Castello di Porta Giova”. Under his successors, the square castle complex was considerably enlarged and reinforced with four corner towers and walls up to seven meters high. However, these did not withstand an uprising against the ruling Visconti family in 1447, during which the castle was destroyed.

Three years later, Francesco Sforza crushed the short-lived Ambrosian Republic and began rebuilding the castle. In 1452, he hired the architect Filarete to build the central tower of the castle complex (still known today as Filarete Tower). After Francesco Sforza’s death, the construction of the castle continued under his son Galeazzo Maria.

In 1494 Ludovico Sforza became the Duke of Milan. Under his rule, some of the most famous artists of his time worked on the decoration of Sforza Castle. For example, the frescoes in the Sala delle Asse were painted in part by Leonardo da Vinci, and the frescoes in the Sala del Tesore and the Sala della Balla were executed by the famous Bramante.

In the following years Sforza Castle was damaged several times during attacks by Italian, French and German troops. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Sforzas and their troops had to surrender to the attacking French, who converted the castle into an arms depot. The Filarete Tower, used as an ammunition depot, exploded in 1521 after being struck by lightning. During the brief reign of Francesco II Sforza, the castle was once again restored and expanded to serve as the duke’s residence.

In 1535 the seat of the Duke of Milan was moved to the Ducal Palace and Sforza Castle was transformed into a citadel. From 1550 the castle was transformed into a modern fortification with a star-shaped layout and 12 bastions. The entire complex was over three kilometers long and covered an area of almost 26 hectares. The military use of the castle continued during the period of Austrian rule under the Habsburgs.

After his entry into Milan in 1796, Napolean used the fortress to house his troops and horses. Under Napoleon, much of the fortifications were also destroyed. At this time, the semicircular Piazza Castello was built on the city center side. On the out-of-town side, a huge parade ground was laid out.

After the unification of Italy in the 19th century, the military use of Sforza Castle ended. On the former parade ground, the large Parco Sempione was created and the Filarete Tower was restored based on original drawings. During World War II, Sforza Castle was severely damaged in air raids, but was rebuilt after the war.

The architecture of Sforza Castle

The position of Sforza Castle in the course of both the medieval and the Baroque extended Milanese city fortifications favored its strategic importance not only for defense against external enemies, but also against inner-city uprisings. With its square ground plan, the complex follows the scheme of the Roman castrum. The southeast front faces the city center, its central tower (the Filarete Tower) covers the main access to the courtyard. Round corner towers with rusticated ashlars flank the sloping brick wall, about 20 meters high, which was once preceded by a moat.

The interior is divided in half between the Piazza d’Armi, a parade ground for the Sforza soldiers barracked around it, and the wings of the Rocchetta to the west and the Corte Ducale, the ducal residence to the north. Various bridges cross the moats.