THE EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY OF THE VISCONTI CASTLE
The Castello Museum presents a new video that tells the story of the Castello Visconteo in Locarno, taking viewers on a journey through the medieval and Renaissance periods and allowing them to understand the importance of this medieval monument in Italian Switzerland. Directed by Jonas Marti, popularizer and director, the documentary is subtitled in several languages for international enjoyment and can be seen in the evocative Sala del Camino on the ground floor, offering visitors a unique immersion in the history of Locarno.
THE ART OF RESTORATION
Edoardo Berta at Locarno Castle
The exhibition is dedicated to the restoration of the castle carried out in the 1920s by Edoardo Berta, a leading figure in Ticino art. The restoration respected the building, preserving and enhancing the historical stratifications. The materials on display, including drawings and unpublished photographs, tell the story of this process. The aim is to raise public awareness of the importance of the castle as a place of identity and memory. The “Memory Box” invites visitors to contribute with personal testimonies and materials, making them participants in the construction of the historical memory of the castle.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXHIBITION
The Castle houses an archaeological exhibition that traces the events of Locarno from the Bronze Age to the Roman Age, presenting archaeological evidence dating back to the period from the 13th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D. During the Roman period, Locarno was an important trading platform between the Alpine valleys and the Po Valley, the traces of which can be found in the necropolis and its exceptional glass products. The collection of Roman glass presented in the Museum is among the most important in Europe. The exhibition is also enriched by a variety of ceramics and tools, weapons, and jewellery of different metals.
THE LOCARNO PACT EXHIBITION
At the end of the First World War, severe conditions were imposed on the defeated countries. Subsequent diplomatic negotiations favoured reconciliation between the nations and led to an international conference in Locarno and the signing of the Rhine Pact in 1925. Germany accepted the western border, guaranteed by England and Italy, and signed arbitration treaties with Belgium, France, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. The “spirit of Locarno” gave rise to a short period of collaboration in Europe, within the framework of the League of Nations. The Locarno agreements were denounced by Germany in 1936. The exhibition is accompanied by a journey through the significant places related to the event that took place in the city locarnocittadellapace.ch.