Museums: Accademia (Part 2 of 2)

Placing the David:  The original David statue has had two homes:  first in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, the home of Florence's government, starting in 1504, and then in the Accademia since 1873.   One location that was considered early on was placing the statue on the roof of Florence's cathedral, along with 11 other Old Testament figures.  Lifting the 6-ton statue that high back then was probably impossible with existing technology. 

In 2010, however, a fiberglass replica of the David was hoisted to the place on the cathedral's roof once intended for the statue. The replica remained in place for a couple of days.  Apparently, it looked very small when viewed from the ground.  Below is a photo.  (Click here for a video of the replica being hoisted into place.)

Protecting the David:  During WWII, Allied bombers attacked Florence.  The crews were given maps of Florence covered with marks indicating the many places they could not bomb, including the Accademia.  Several bombing raids targeted Florence, resulting in many deaths and the destruction of many buildings including the two main train stations not far from the Accademia.  Fortunately, the David had earlier been encased in brick for protection and was not damaged by the bombing. 

The Davd encased in brick in 1944 (center).  Other sculptures by Michelangelo (left and right) were also encased.

We are thankful the statue was not destroyed.