Emperor's Castle (Castello dell'Imperatore)

Emperor's Castle

Location: Prato, Tuscany Map

Construction: 1240 by Holy Roman emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen

 

Emperor's Castle that is also known as a fortress of Saint Barbara is situated in Prato, Tuscany province of Italy. It was constructed in 1240 by Holy Roman emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen of Swabia . Thus this explains its name. During medieval times it held the headquarters of the Imperial party and seat of the Imperial Viceroy of Tuscany. Emperor's Castle has an outline of a perfect square with four towers defending its four corners, while another four are situated along its defensive walls. Construction of the Emperor's Castle stopped around 1250 after the old Emperor has died so technically it was not complete. Nevertheless despite centuries of warfare and neglect it is in great condition. Some of the buildings inside the courtyard were demolished, but otherwise it is near original condition.

 

History and description

The fort of the Alberti di Prato once stood on the place where the present castle is located, which was almost completely razed to the ground in 1107 during the siege of the troops of Matilde di Canossa; in its place another building, called "Palazzolo", was rebuilt to house the nuncios of the emperors Arrigo VI of Svevia and Otto IV of Brunswick (of which two towers remain, those without battlements, which until 1767-68 had about the double the current height); the area affected by the castle has always been strategic, so much so that there are documents dating back to 1035 which testify to the presence of an older "palatium"; this building was the nucleus of Castrum Prati, the village that stood upstream of the building which also possessed an ancient parish church (Santa Maria in Castello, which no longer exists).

The commission for the construction was given by Frederick II to Riccardo da Lentini, probably starting from 1240. The castle, originally tangent to the second wall (XII century), was partially surrounded by a moat and connected to the Albertian prisons from which definition " of the prisons "the nearby Marian shrine took its name. It has eight towers and has inherent, as for the Castel del Monte, various symbolic aspects, both in the structure and in the portal. Once completed, it was to be used as an important garrison of the empire, testifying to the emperor's presence on the possessions in the north.

However, its construction was interrupted around 1250, due to the premature death of the emperor, and the unfinished structure was later used for many other purposes. During the fourteenth century, under the Florentine dominion, the castle was connected to the third circle of walls by a covered corridor called "Corridore del Cassero" (ie: corridor of the castle) or more simply Cassero. In this way the Florentine troops could safely enter the city from outside the walls using a protected passage.

Over the centuries some houses were built in and around the structure. In the thirties, under the Fascist government, all the houses were demolished and the castle took on its present appearance, which practically consists only of the external walls. The simultaneous opening of viale Piave also involved the demolition of a large part of the Cassero structure, of which two sections remain.

Also interesting, on the back of the same castle, are the remains of the hospital and the corresponding church of San Giovanni Gerosolimitano (or of the knights of Malta), built extra moenia in the mid-twelfth century and currently abandoned, but which still retains small and rare traces anthropomorphic terracotta from the Romanesque period.

In 1944 the castle was used by the fascists to lock up the hundreds of Prato arrested for the strike in March.

Also in 1944, between 6 and 7 September, after the occupation of the city by the partisans, there was a round-up around the city, where fascists were captured and presumed as such, and once taken to the castle, they were shot. The event is remembered as the massacre of the Emperor's Castle.

After the restoration in the 1970s, the castle was opened to the public and can be visited. It is possible to climb through the ancient spiral stairs inside the corner towers and access the patrol walkway to enjoy the beautiful panorama of the city of Prato. The castle is also used by the municipality as a place for cultural events, such as shows, concerts or the so-called "Cinema under the stars", or a place for film screenings in the summer, organized by Terminale Cinema - Casa Del Cinema di Prato.