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| Legnano |
From the copper age to the post-industrial civilization, the history of Legnano goes back four thousand years: one of the few remains is a vase in the shape of a bell found on its boundaries with Castellanza. Legnano was elevated to the status of a city in 1924 and in the second half of the 1800’s it developed at a steady rate as a result of the industrialization process. Then there are the findings from the Imperial Roman and Longobard periods, a testimony to the strategic position of the area.
The Battle of May 29th 1176 fought between the townships of the Lega Lombarda and Federico Barbarossa’s Imperial Army, earned Legnano the right to a place in the national anthem, in addition Northern Italy received its indipendence from the German Empire. Two XIII century buildings show the presence of two Noble Milanese families; the Palazzo of Archbishop Leone da Perego (rebuilt at the end of the 1800’s) and San Giorgio Castle of the XIII century, which belonged to the Torriani and Visconti families. Another work that goes back to medieval times is the Sant’Erasmo hospice, re-established in 1925, which has the folklore that among its visitors were the Bonvesin Della Riva monks. The construction of the San Magno Basilica, in the 500’s, contains works by Bernardino Luini and Bernardino Lanino.
The true development of Legnano started with the industrial revolution in the second half of the 1800’s, when the doors were opened to the textile industry followed by the mechanical industry then banks and the Sempione railway. The town hall, hospital, sanatorium, and structures which reveal the existence of an active urban community arose in the first part of the 1900’s, and were established on the fortune of big companies while at the same time being sensitive to the past.
The first Palio of Legnano took place in 1935 and was resumed in 1951 on the urging of the newly established Famiglia Legnanese. The process of de-industrialization, which closed the doors to a good part of the big factories, occurred in the second half of the century.
Despite the fact that there are still industries of high-quality, nowadays the city is strongly service orientated, as the construction of a new hospital on the western boundaries demonstrates.
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