The monumental center of Cremona is a place of great significance for architecture and the arts. These monuments are symbols, speaking of a community that in the Middle Ages demonstrated wealth and ambitions, with the founding in the 12th century of the Cathedral and Baptistery, along with the contemporary establishment of an urban symbol like the Torrazzo, and the buildings of the civil administration, Town Hall and Loggia dei Militi, also dating back to the medieval period.
The opportunity to admire such a context of history up close is unique: to embark on a journey into the constructive wisdom of the architectures with the climb to the Torrazzo, visit the story of devotion and biblical tales in the Cathedral’s naves (the 15th-century cycle in the vaults of the transepts and the 16th-century one on the walls of the Main Hall), enter the Baptistery and observe the spectacular and clear construction of the vault, with examples of medieval sculptures, between the 12th and 13th centuries.
Archaeological Museum of Cremona
The Archaeological Museum of Cremona (opened in 2009) is housed in the deconsecrated basilica of San Lorenzo and the adjoining 15th-century Meli Chapel. It exhibits the most significant part of the Cremonese archaeological collections: through findings made from the 19th century to the recent excavation in piazza Marconi, it allows the reconstruction of the image of the city founded by the Romans in 218 BC, the oldest in the territory north of the Po River.
The Romanesque church of San Lorenzo stands on the remains of an older church, dated to the 10th century, itself built on the site of a paleochristian funerary building and a Roman Republican era necropolis: the museum is therefore itself an archaeological site, whose remains are still largely visible.
Museum of Romanesque Stones of the Cathedral
The Museum of the Romanesque Stones of the Cathedral is located inside the Baptistery. It houses sculptures such as holy water fonts, young figures, telamons, the famous statues of Baldas and Berta by Master Niccolò, bronzes, medieval mosaics coming from the Cathedral.
Historical Archive of the Chamber of Commerce of Cremona
The Historical Archive of the Chamber of Commerce of Cremona holds rich historical-economic documentation from the 14th to the 19th century. It also serves an educational and museum role thanks to the careful exhibition setup of ancient manuscripts and various relics that testify to the evolution of the productive and commercial activities of the Cremonese community, from the medieval Universitas Mercatorum to the Italian Unification.
Also part of the Archive’s heritage are statutory and matricular codes of the ancient Guilds of Art as well as weight control instruments, ancient coins, and an extremely rich collection of trademarks and shop signs of the old Cremonese merchants, between the 14th and 16th centuries.
Civic Museum of Natural History
The Natural History Museum of Cremona is located within the Parco del Vecchio Passeggio, rich in local botanical species, with a pond that has become a natural habitat for many small animals. The museum originated from the collection of the Marquis Giuseppe Sigismondo Ala Ponzone (1761-1842), himself a naturalist.
To this initial core were added, at later times, other small collections mainly donated by local naturalists. The path begins with the historical section, continues with a systematic passage through individual disciplines (mineralogy, petrography, paleontology, and zoology, with a botanical section in the park), to arrive at the environmental reading. The natural environment and particularly the urban one allow introducing two highly topical themes applied to the local context: an innovative representation of the “city upside down” and, concluding the path, a reflection on biodiversity conservation.
State Library of Cremona
The State Library of Cremona consists of two fundamental nuclei: the Governmental and the Civic.
The Governmental Library (called until 1860 Imperial Royal Library) traces its origins to the library founded at the beginning of the 17th century by the Jesuits in the city of Cremona, within their College. The Jesuits were invited to Cremona by Bishop Cesare Speciano (1539-1607, shepherd of the diocese since 1591), and they mainly dedicated themselves to the education of youth, not neglecting pastoral activity.
As support for study and teaching, they began immediately to collect book materials, which soon grew with the most precious core: Speciano’s personal library, of over 1,200 volumes, including incunabula, rare 16th-century editions, and manuscripts. The original location was at the Jesuit college (now housing the State High School ‘Daniele Manin’, Via Cavallotti), adjacent to their church: San Marcellino. The Jesuit library was opened to the public by Empress Maria Theresa around 1775, shortly after the order’s suppression (1773). The Cremonese enlightener Giambattista Biffi played an active role in the opening.
The library closes for two weeks in August for annual revision and dusting operations. During this period, information, distribution, and lending services are open from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
State Archive of Cremona
The State Archive was established in Cremona by ministerial decree on November 21, 1955, but only between 1958 and 1960 did the initial collections begin to be gathered. Thanks to the foresight of lawyer Giuseppe Ghisalberti, president of the Province of Cremona, the Province managed to set up the headquarters on via Palestro in premises granted by the Municipality of Cremona. Over the years, expansion needs arose, and in 1979 the Archive moved to the current location on via Antica Porta Tintoria, owned by the Cremonese Educational Institute administered by the Foundation “City of Cremona”.
