World Heritage Identification Number: 549
World Heritage since: 1997
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Buildings & Architectural Ensembles
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇮🇹 Italy
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The 18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta: A Grandiose Baroque Masterpiece
The 18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta, located in the Italian region of Campania, approximately 35 kilometers north of Naples, stands as a testament to the opulence and grandeur of the Bourbon dynasty. This monumental complex, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, represents a unique blend of architecture, landscape design, and industrial innovation, reflecting the Enlightenment philosophy that sought to harmonize human creations with nature.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The monumental complex at Caserta, created by the Bourbon king Charles III in the mid-18th century to rival Versailles and the Royal Palace in Madrid, is exceptional for the way in which it brings together a magnificent palace with its park and gardens, as well as natural woodland, hunting lodges and a silk factory. It is an eloquent expression of the Enlightenment in material form, integrated into, rather than imposed on, its natural setting.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (i): The 18th century estate of Caserta is a unique creation of the spirit of the Enlightenment which was able to build buildings of great architectural value, well set in a natural landscape, according to a broad scale development plan.
Criterion (ii): The 18th century Royal Palace of Caserta with the park, the Aqueduct Carolino, and the complex of San Leucio are all important evidence of the interchange of human values, thanks to the broad scale of its original project for an ambitious new town, consisting of imposing buildings, gardens, streets and surrounding natural landscape according to an innovative concept of planning. This new configuration of the landscape has been realized through engineering works of exceptional historical interest, like the Aqueduct Carolino, which was created to connect and unify the entire complex.
Criterion (iii): The monumental complex of Caserta is an outstanding example of urban planning implemented by the Bourbon dynasty, according to Vitruvian principles of solidity, functionality and beauty in line with the neoclassical culture in vogue at the time.
Criterion (iv): The outstanding value of the industrial complex of Belvedere, planned to produce silk, derives from the idealistic principles underlying its original conception and management.
Encyclopedia Record: Royal Palace of Caserta
The Royal Palace of Caserta is a former royal residence in Caserta, Campania, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Naples in southern Italy, constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as kings of Naples. The complex is the largest palace erected in Europe during the 18th century. In 1997, the palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site; its nomination described it as "the swan song of the spectacular art of the Baroque, from which it adopted all the features needed to create the illusions of multidirectional space". The Royal Palace of Caserta is the largest former royal residence in the world, over 2 million m3 in volume covering an area of 47,000 m2 and a floorspace of 138,000 square metres distributed across five floors.Additional Site Details
Area: 87.37 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 41.07333 , 14.32639
Image
© Tango7174, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
