Palazzo Reale Milano - Destination Napoleon - European Federation of Napoleonic Cities

Palazzo reale-milano

Built between 1770 and 1778 to Piermarini's design, the Palazzo Reale is one of the city's most important monuments. In 1796, General Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Milan and established the Cisalpine Republic. At the time, the Palazzo Reale was the royal and ducal palace of the Austrians. Following the annexation to France, the building was renamed Palazzo Nazionale, becoming the seat of the new Republic's main governing bodies.

sumptuous new furniture was acquired. When the Austro-Russians regained control of the city in 1799, the French government was forced to hastily sell off most of the palace's furniture and let the population loot other rooms. With Napoleon's coronation, Milan became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy in 1805, encompassing part of northern Italy and as far as the Marche region, and became the seat of the new government. The Palazzo was renamed the Reale and reached the height of its splendour at this time. Damage caused by the wars

were repaired and sumptuous new furniture acquired. Eugène de Beauharnais proceeded to enlarge the palace, the project for which was entrusted to Luigi Canonica. Andrea Appiani was commissioned to paint the frescoes in the reception rooms: the first work was inaugurated on 8 May 1805, on the occasion of Napoleon's official visit to Milan. With the fall of Napoleon in 1814 and the Austrian Restoration, the Palazzo Reale became the seat of the new viceroy of the Lombardy-Venetian kingdom. Today, the building houses one of the city's most important museums.