The Doge's Palace is a prime attraction of the city of Venice in northern Italy. 'Doge' means 'the Supreme Ruler'. Read on to know more about this glorious landmark.
1. The famous palace featured in the 2009 video game, Assassin's Creed II.
2. The landmark was reconstructed many times starting from the 10th century onwards.
3. There lies a austere place in the iconic palace where the accused were tortured. A ghastly fact indeed.
4. The palace was the residence of the supreme leader of Venice in the past. Today it exists as a museum.
5. Built in Venetian Gothic style, the monument was extended as well as modified a number of times.
6. Here, a vast collection of paintings exist that depict the past Doges at the 'Sala del Maggior Consiglio' that translates to 'the Great Council Hall'.
7. The mastermind behind this historic palace is the sculptor and famed architect Filippo Calendario.
8. The attraction is home to the largest oil painting in the planet. The latter is christened 'Paradise' and created by Tintoretto.
9. Did you know that the infamous womanizer Giacomo Casanova was imprisoned here for a year way back in 1755?
10. There exist quite a few buildings in the world that tried to replicate the architecture of this historic palace.
Instances include the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, the Wedgwood Institute in Burslem, the Wool Exchange in Bradford and more.
11. The main entrance here is dubbed the Porta della Carta which also connects the palace with St. Mark's Basililca.
12. The attraction boasts of portraits of all the Doges of Venice with one exception. The latter was left out as he tried to topple the existing government of the day.
13. From 1997, the much-visited landmark figured in the elite network of Venetian museums.
14. The Doge's Palace has been ably managed by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia from 2008 till the present day.
15. For your information, fires ravaged this imperious structure between 1574 and 1577 necessitating major renovations.
16. Guariento came up with the fresco that decorated the Chamber of the Great Council within the major tourist attraction.
17. The beautiful monument is the property of the Italian State who handed over the former's management to the Venetian municipality way back in 1923.
18. As a matter of fact, the oldest part of the historical attraction is the wing overlooking the lagoon. That particular area contains many 14th century era sculptures.
19. A must see here is 'the Bridge of Sigh which connects the building to a prison. The prison contains pozzi or wells where prisoners were kept in wretched conditions.
20. Near the end of the 19th century, the place exhibited major signs of decay. The existing Italian government invested a considerable sum to repair it.