The story of the so-called Napoleon’s Arch at Porta Osio in the documents of the Archivio di Stato in Bergamo
from 3 July to 31 August
Sede Archivio di Stato
via Fratelli Bronzetti 26, Bergamo
In 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte became King of Italy, so in order to celebrate this event the Town Hall decided to build up a triumphal arch. The urban gateway Osio was the right place and it was renamed " Napoleon Gateway" ever since. After a few troubles the famous architect Giacomo Quarenghi carried the project out but in 1812 the Ministry of Interior asked the Prefect about the building delay.
When the Napoleonic era ended up, the works had been suspended and the contractors complained (there is a document dated 1816). Later, in 1820 the building materials had been sold to the " Deputation for the building Tower Mill " in Palazzolo so they set a new invitation to bid for the Main Road setting and maintenance, after the abandoned triumphal arch demolition.
Recently, Mr. Giovanni Dotti ( an archivist of ours ) has been sifting through those state documents but the chart works had been lost since the first half of XIX Century. The Archivio di Stato di Bergamo (State Archive) will show a few significant documents concerning the arch. You can also find a virtual version on its own website.
www.asbergamo.beniculturali.it