Seveso
Encyclopedia
Seveso is a town and comune
in the Province of Monza and Brianza, in the Region
of Lombardy
. The economy of the town has traditionally been based around the furniture industry.
Its name comes from the river of the same name
which crosses the comune
in a north-south direction.
Seveso received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on June 18, 2003.
in the Brianza lowlands. The territory of the commume is highly urbanised, with the majority of inhabitants living in the town.
Seveso lies on the national trunk road Statale dei Giovi, which connects Milan to Como
and on the Milan-Meda motorway. It is also serviced by the Milan–Asso railway line.
Neighbouring communes are Meda, Seregno
, Barlassina
, Cogliate
, Cesano Maderno
.
conquest of Gaul
. Towards 780, the monastery
at Meda was founded, the jurisdiction of which extended to the territory of Seveso.
In 1252 the church of Saint Peter Martyr (S. Pietro Martire) was constructed in homage to the Dominican order
brother who had been assassinated in Seveso. The Church of the Seminary preserves in its crypt the knife which was used to kill him.
The town was struck in the 16th century by two episodes of famine
and plague
. During the 17th century, the town was ruled by several families, of which the Arese family left a number of outstanding monuments.
In 1798, Prince Giuseppe II of the Napoleonic Cisalpine Republic
ordered the Dominicans to leave the monastery and church of Saint Peter. In the unification of the Kingdom of Italy
, territory from Barlassina
was passed to Seveso. This decision was rejected by the population and the two comuni were again separated in 1901.
Seveso made world headlines when, on July 10, 1976, storage vessels at the ICMESA chemical plant ruptured, releasing several kilograms of the dioxin TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) into the atmosphere. Tens of thousands of farm animals and pets died or were later deliberately slaughtered, though it is believed that there was not a single human death directly attributable to the incident. The event came later to be known as the Seveso disaster
. Nowadays in the main contaminated area there is a park called "Bosco delle Querce" (Wood of Oaks).
by Greek composer Vangelis
was inspired by the Seveso disaster.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the Province of Monza and Brianza, in the Region
Regions of Italy
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
of Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
. The economy of the town has traditionally been based around the furniture industry.
Its name comes from the river of the same name
Seveso River
The Seveso is a 55 km Italian river, which flows through the provinces of Como, Monza e Brianza and Milan. It rises on Sasso di Cavallasca or Monte Sasso of Cavallasca, near San Fermo della Battaglia...
which crosses the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in a north-south direction.
Seveso received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on June 18, 2003.
Geography
The town is situated 21 km to the north of MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in the Brianza lowlands. The territory of the commume is highly urbanised, with the majority of inhabitants living in the town.
Seveso lies on the national trunk road Statale dei Giovi, which connects Milan to Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
and on the Milan-Meda motorway. It is also serviced by the Milan–Asso railway line.
Neighbouring communes are Meda, Seregno
Seregno
-Local Economy and Business:Seregno is positioned in the middle of one of the most economically productive areas in Italy with a high concentration of small and medium-sized enterprises. The total number of companies listed in Seregno is over 3,600, equal to about 6% of companies throughout the...
, Barlassina
Barlassina
Barlassina is a comune in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 20 km north of Milan.-External links:*...
, Cogliate
Cogliate
Cogliate is a comune in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 20 km northwest of Milan....
, Cesano Maderno
Cesano Maderno
Cesano Maderno is a town and comune of c. 37,110 inhabitants in the province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy, northern Italy. The town borders with the towns of Seveso in the North, in the South with Bovisio-Masciago, in the East with Desio and Seregno, and in the west with Ceriano Laghetto and...
.
History
Seveso's origins date back to about the third century BC, when certain areas around Brianza were used as military staging posts for the RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
conquest of Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. Towards 780, the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
at Meda was founded, the jurisdiction of which extended to the territory of Seveso.
In 1252 the church of Saint Peter Martyr (S. Pietro Martire) was constructed in homage to the Dominican order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
brother who had been assassinated in Seveso. The Church of the Seminary preserves in its crypt the knife which was used to kill him.
The town was struck in the 16th century by two episodes of famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
and plague
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
. During the 17th century, the town was ruled by several families, of which the Arese family left a number of outstanding monuments.
In 1798, Prince Giuseppe II of the Napoleonic Cisalpine Republic
Cisalpine Republic
The Cisalpine Republic was a French client republic in Northern Italy that lasted from 1797 to 1802.-Birth:After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte proceeded to organize two states: one to the south of the Po River, the Cispadane Republic, and one to the north, the Transpadane...
ordered the Dominicans to leave the monastery and church of Saint Peter. In the unification of the Kingdom of Italy
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
, territory from Barlassina
Barlassina
Barlassina is a comune in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 20 km north of Milan.-External links:*...
was passed to Seveso. This decision was rejected by the population and the two comuni were again separated in 1901.
Seveso made world headlines when, on July 10, 1976, storage vessels at the ICMESA chemical plant ruptured, releasing several kilograms of the dioxin TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) into the atmosphere. Tens of thousands of farm animals and pets died or were later deliberately slaughtered, though it is believed that there was not a single human death directly attributable to the incident. The event came later to be known as the Seveso disaster
Seveso disaster
The Seveso disaster was an industrial accident that occurred around 12:37 pm July 10, 1976, in a small chemical manufacturing plant approximately north of Milan in the Lombardy region in Italy...
. Nowadays in the main contaminated area there is a park called "Bosco delle Querce" (Wood of Oaks).
Trivia
The track 'Suffocation' on the 1980 album See you laterSee You Later
See You Later is a 1980 album by the Greek artist Vangelis. It breaks quite violently with the style he had employed in the late 1970s, relying much more on vocals and being more experimental and returning to his early 1970s work....
by Greek composer Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
was inspired by the Seveso disaster.