The Free Port of Venice and its Establishment under the Habsburg Empire

Venice was only granted the privileges of a free port in 1830, some decades after the fall of the Republic of Venice, when the city was part of the Habsburg Empire. Its commercial importance had already started to decline. The free port was conceived as a means to foster the economic recovery of the city in the framework of a wider policy intended at a better integration of Lombardy and Venetia or the Italian dominions of the Austrian Empire. This article, following a description of the historical conditions leading to the establishment of the free port, identifies the actors supporting and opposing this project. Their arguments and their ploys are also explained using memorial and archival sources. The economic effects of these measures are also assessed in the context of the changes that occurred in Venice until the free port’s abolition in 1874.