The Venetian Works of defence between 15th and 17th centuries
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Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries: Stato da Terra – Western Stato da Mar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising six bastion forts constructed by the Republic of Venice in its mainland territories (Stato da Terra) and maritime domains (Stato da Mar).
With the increase in firearm warfare in the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to dominate the battlefield, came significant shifts in military strategy and fort design. One of these changes was the development of the bastion fort, or alla moderna fortifications, with a polygon-shaped fortress with bulwarks at the corners. These designs originated from the Republic of Venice, but would soon spread throughout Europe and remain the standard for defence until the 19th century. In 2017, six of these fortifications in Italy, Croatia, and Montenegro were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. These six sites provide quintessential examples of this fort design, demonstrate the influence of Renaissance-era Venice, and pay testimony to a major advancement in the history of warfare.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.