Modena

Modena (ancient Mutina), city, northern Italy, capital of Modena Province, in Emilia-Romagna Region. The city is an agricultural and industrial center, with factories producing machinery, steel, motor vehicles, and processed foods. Modena has a university (1175), an academy of sciences and arts, an observatory, a botanic garden, and military schools. It is the seat of an archbishop. The Cathedral of Saint Germinianus, a Romanesque building begun in 1099, has a fine facade; its campanile is one of the great towers of Italy. Founded as an Etruscan town, Modena became a Roman colony in the 2nd century bc. From 1288 until 1452, when it became the capital of a duchy, Modena was ruled by the Este family. In 1861 it became part of the kingdom of Italy. Population (2001) 175,502.