Venice's 1516 Ghetto: How the World's First Segregated Jewish Quarter Was Created
On March 29, 1516, the Senate of Venice made the decision to restrict all Jews to a designated small island in Cannaregio, referred to as the geto novo, thus establishing the first 'ghetto' in history. Surrounded by canals and secured with iron gates, this area was monitored by four guards, whose salaries were covered by the Jewish community. Although Jews had endured segregation across Europe for centuries, the term 'ghetto' originated from Venice. By 1562, Rome established its own Jewish quarter named a ghetto, followed by Florence in 1571. Initially intended as a temporary measure due to war and migration, the Ghetto persisted because of ongoing conflicts, ultimately being dismantled after Napoleon's arrival in 1797. The essay lasts 25 minutes when listened to.
Key facts
- On 29 March 1516, the Venetian Senate voted to create the world's first ghetto, confining all Jews to the geto novo island in Cannaregio.
- The island was enclosed by canals, tall tenements, blocked windows and doors, and iron gates closed at sunset and opened at the marangona bell.
- Four guards, paid by the Jews themselves, patrolled the canals day and night.
- The word 'ghetto' derives from the Venetian verb gettare (to throw) and the local word for foundry, geto.
- By 1562, the Jewish quarter in Rome was called a ghetto; by 1571, Florence had one.
- The Ghetto Vecchio was created in 1541 and the Ghetto Nuovissimo in 1633 for different Jewish migrant groups.
- The Ghetto was abolished after Napoleon's arrival in 1797.
- The essay is a 25-minute listen published by Aeon.
Entities
Artists
- Jacopo de' Barbari
- Guido Costante Sullam
- Cecil Roth
- Marin Sanudo the Younger
- Giorgio Emo
- Zaccaria Dolfin
- Fra Rufin Lovato
- Domenico da Leonessa
- Bernardino da Feltre
- Marco da Montegallo
- King John II of Castile
- Pope Eugenius IV
- King Charles VIII of France
- Emperor Maximilian
- Napoleon
Institutions
- Venetian Senate
- Collegio
- Aeon
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Cannaregio
- Candia
- Heraklion
- Rome
- Florence
- United States
- Poland
- Mestre
- Trent
- Trentino
- Vicenza
- Brescia
- Verona
- Perugia
- Giudecca
- Murano
- Duchy of Milan
- Castile
- France
- Germany
- Sicily
- Ottoman Empire