Monopoli

Monopoli
Monopoli
—  Comune  —
Città di Monopoli
The harbour of Monopoli.

Coat of arms
Monopoli is located in Italy
Monopoli
Location of Monopoli in Italy
Coordinates: 40°57′N 17°18′E / 40.95°N 17.3°E / 40.95; 17.3Coordinates: 40°57′N 17°18′E / 40.95°N 17.3°E / 40.95; 17.3
Country Italy
Region Puglia
Province Bari (BA)
Frazioni Assunta, Tavarello, Paglierici, Stomazzelli, Rizzitello, Chiesa dei Morti, Padre Sergio, S.Teresa, Macchia di Monte, Zingarello, Impalata, Cozzana, Gravina, Gorgofreddo, Lamalunga, S.Lucia, Antonelli, Corvino, Capitolo, Santo Stefano, Lamascrasciola, Barcato, S. Oceano, S. Vincenzo
Government
 - Mayor Emilio Romani
Area
 - Total 156 km2 (60.2 sq mi)
Elevation 9 m (30 ft)
Population (31 May 2007)
 - Total 49,591
 - Density 317.9/km2 (823.3/sq mi)
Demonym Monopolitani
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 70043
Dialing code 080
Patron saint Madonna della Madia
Saint day December 16
Website Official website

Monopoli (Monòpolis in Greek) is a town and comune in Italy, in the province of Bari, region of Apulia. The town is roughly 156 square km in area and lies about 40 km southeast from Bari. It has about 50,000 inhabitants.

The city is important mostly as an agricultural, industrial and touristic centre.

Castle/Abbey of St. Stephen.

Contents

History

The area was first settled as a Greek establishment as the city of Gnatia, Monopoli being a smaller outer village known as Dyria, of Peucetian origins.

After the destruction of Gnatia by the Ostrogoth king Totila in 545, its inhabitants fled to Monopoli, from which it derives its name as "only city". In the following centuries the area would be controlled by the Byzantines, Normans and Hohenstaufen, and was a starting point for naval Crusades expeditions, living in that period the peak of its splendour. Later it was a fief under Angevine and Aragonese feudal lords.

In 1484 the city came under Venetian control and saw an economic upswing as a seaport on the Adriatic Sea as a base between Bari and Brindisi, as well as through trading its own agricultural goods. It was frequenelty attacked by Muslim pirates in the following decades. Under Spanish rule Monopoli became a free city in 1545. It became part of the newly-unified Kingdom of Italy in 1860.

The city, lying in the south of Italy Mezzogiorno, enjoyed a certain economic development during the 60's, thanks to the opening of a Tognana (an important Italian ceramic manufacturer) industrial plant. The closure of this plant in the end of the 90's certainly worsened the city's economy; Monopoli's economic recovery in the latest year has mostly been due to new industries (the most important is the MerMec, which produces railway material) and the development of tourism, especially in the coast and the countryside.

Main sights

  • Castle of Charles V. Finished in 1522, it has a pentagonal plan. It is located on a promontory which was originally separated from the medieval city. It was restored and enlarged in the 17th century. Starting from the early 19th century, it was used as a jail, a status it kept until 1969. It is currently the seat of art exhibition and cultural events.
  • Coastal castle of St. Stephen, built by the Norman lord Godfrey of Conversano in 1086. It was subsequently turned into a Benedictine monastery. It has a circular plan.
  • Jerusalem Hospital, founded in 1350 by the Hospitaller
  • Cathedral Basilica.
  • Palazzo Palmieri (18th century)
  • Monte San Nicola (Mount St.Nicholas) faunal reserve. The reserve, lying on the summit of a 290-meter-high hill in the Murge plateau, is important for the presence of some endemic plants.

Twin towns

External links



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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Monopoli — Monopoli …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Monopoli —     Monopoli     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Monopoli     (MONOPOLITANA).     A diocese in the Province of Bari, in Apulia, southern Italy. The city has a small but good harbour on the Adriatic. It succeeded the ancient Egnatia, the ruins of which… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Monopoli — Monopoli,   Stadt in Apulien, Provinz Bari, Italien, an der Küste des Adriatischen Meeres, 47 800 Einwohner; Zementfabrik, Öl und Getreidemühlen; kleiner Hafen; Fischfang.   Stadtbild …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Monopŏli — Monopŏli, Stadt in der neapolitanischen Provinz Terra di Bari, am Adriatischen Meere; Bischof, Kathedrale, 14 andere Kirchen, Schloß, Handel mit Webereien, Öl, Wein; 20,000 Ew. In der Nähe unterirdische Wohnungen in mit Madreporenlagen… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Monopŏli — (das alte Minopolis), Stadt in der ital. Provinz und dem Kreise Bari, am Adriatischen Meer und an der Eisenbahn Bari Brindisi, Sitz eines Bischofs, hat uralte Felsengräber, ein altes Kastell und Ringmauerreste, eine Kathedrale aus dem 12. Jahrh …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Monopoli — Monopŏli, Hafenstadt in der ital. Prov. Bari, am Adriat. Meer, (1901) 22.545 E., altes Kastell …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • monopoli — monòpoli m <G lija> DEFINICIJA popularna društvena igra kupovanja i prodavanja gradilišta, kuća, hotela i sl. ETIMOLOGIJA engl. monopoly, v. monopol …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Monopoli —  Pour l’article homophone, voir Monopoly. Monopoli …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Monopoli — No debe confundirse con Monopoly. Monopoli Escudo …   Wikipedia Español

  • Monopoli — Original name in latin Monopoli Name in other language Monopoli, monopori, Монополи State code IT Continent/City Europe/Rome longitude 40.95593 latitude 17.2896 altitude 20 Population 46708 Date 2012 02 15 …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

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