Cartura is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italian region

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, located about southwest of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

and about south of

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of t ...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,268 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat. The municipality of Cartura contains the '' frazioni'' (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Cagnola and Gorgo. Cartura borders the following municipalities: Bovolenta, Casalserugo, Conselve, Due Carrare, Maserà di Padova, Pernumia, San Pietro Viminario, Terrassa Padovana.

History

The first settlements in the territory of the present-day municipality of Cartura date back to the first century A.D., a period when the first

land drainage Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess of water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils is good enough to prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic condition ...

works were carried out by the Romans in the territory, which was then marshy and covered with forests. The first inhabitants were Romans and the name of the town itself is probably linked to the Latin term 'cartorian' which was imprinted in building material, as confirmed by the discovery of an ancient brick and tile factory. With the fall of the

Western Roman Empire The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period fr ...

came a period of decline and abandonment of the area. In 1324, Cangrande della Scala wanted to conquer the city of

and to achieve his aim he planned on destroying the land around the city to interrupt the production of supplies. During that campaign, also Cartura was set on fire and many people were killed. This episode led to poverty and demographic decline. In the 16th century Venice subdued the region and a period of poverty, hunger and oppression began for the population. Almost all the products had to be sent as taxes to

and little was left for the people's own nourishment and survival. During their dominion, the Venetians showed themselves to be indifferent to the fate of the rural populations. However, after a century and a half of ineffective and negative domination, Venice itself realised that a discrete agricultural economy could also be of benefit to it in terms of military defence and so it began a new drainage project in Cartura from 1556, with the construction of a large artificial drainage system that still exists today under the name of 'Fossa Paltana'. This led to a stationary situation during the end of 16th and 17th centuries. During the end of the 18th and beginning of 19th century the power upon the territory passed from the French to the Austrian Empire. In spring 1797 the French conquered the region and forced the population to follow certain measures that included the payment of heavy taxes and requisitions. However, on 17 October 1797, with the Treaty of Campoformio, the

region was taken over by the Austrians. Their domination lasted eight years but proved to be positive for the poor economy of the territory. One of the positive aspects was the new political proximity with Lombardy region that brought the

region out of economic isolation; secondly, the Austrian economic recovery and administrative restructuring plan. This plan was stopped by the conquer of the region by the Napoleonic empire. This period of French domination, that went from 1805 to 1813, was characterised by compulsory conscription, taxation and expropriation of land, leaving the population once again in poverty. Finally, with the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

of 1814, the region went back to the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

, which marked the economic recovery of the area. In Cartura in particular,

silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically ...

breeding brought great benefits, especially thanks to trade with Lombardy, where there were textile industries that needed the material. Austrian rule ended with the entry of the Veneto region into the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and ...

in 1866. For Cartura and that area in particular this meant once again poverty, but also moral decline e criminality. Cartura's economic recovery occurred in the inter-war period, after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

had highlighted the backwardness of its population and economy. The first electrical system was installed in 1927 and then, in 1928, the electric tramway was built, connecting Cartura with Padua and Conselve. Cartura sent men to the war field also during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and was part of the Italian Partisan movement. Cartura was also a victim of Anglo-American bombing, which resulted in the destruction of the church of Cagnola and not the bridge, which was the target. On the 25 and 26 April 1945, all roads in Cartura were used by retreating German tanks and the bridge, which was not destroyed, enabled them to escape. Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta (Cartura) 01

Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta (Cartura) 01

Today, the economic structure of the municipality is mainly made up of agricultural activities, alongside the presence of mainly family-run craft businesses.

Demographic evolution

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References

Sources

* Cavallaro, Ivano (1977). ''Ieri a Cartura.'' Conselve. *Sartori, Don Giovanni. ''Storia documentata di Cartura.'' Cities and towns in Veneto {{Veneto-geo-stub