Arsenale di Venezia

Former heart of Venetian sea power: a vast shipyard and armoury complex, one of Europe's oldest industrial sites, now an exhibition venue for the Venice Biennale.

The Arsenale di Venezia was for centuries the industrial heart of the Serenissima: a sprawling complex of shipyards, armouries and warehouses where the galleys of the Venetian war fleet were built, equipped and maintained. In the Middle Ages it was one of the earliest large-scale industrial enterprises in all of Europe. The word arsenal itself derives from the Arabic Dār aṣ-ṣināʿa, reflecting the Lagoon City's deep Mediterranean connections. Today the largely restricted site serves as exhibition space for the Venice Biennale and stands as one of the most impressive urban monuments of the Venetian Republic.