Identity: from Portus Naonis to provincial capital, in the municipal statute
The statute's preamble recalls the ancient name Portus Naonis, the first town statute granted in 1291 by Duke Albert I of Austria, the passage to Venice in the 16th century and the role of provincial capital since 1968. The coat of arms shows a gate rising from the sea. Since 2016 the statute no longer provides for district councils.
Sections: Geography · History · Population · Languages · Time zone · Public holidays
History in the preamble
According to the statute's preamble, Pordenone, anciently Portus Naonis, passed to the Babenbergs of Austria in the early 13th century and from 1276 was ruled for more than two centuries by the Habsburgs, who recognised its autonomy and the title of «city». In 1291 Duke Albert I of Austria granted it its first statute, reformed in 1438 and in force until 1797. In 1508 the town was given as a fief to Bartolomeo d'Alviano and from 1537 it came under the direct rule of the Republic of Venice. After the Napoleonic period, the Congress of Vienna (1815) assigned it to Austria, within Lombardy-Venetia and the Province of Friuli with Udine as capital; it joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. Since 31 January 1963 it has been part of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and since 6 April 1968 it has been capital of the Province of Pordenone.
Seat and coat of arms
The Comune's seat is the old Palazzo civico (town hall), which the statute describes as the seat of the community's representatives for more than seven hundred years. The current coat of arms, modified in 1401 by grant of William Duke of Austria and confirmed in 1840 by Emperor Ferdinand I, is a red shield crossed by a silver band; at the bottom lies the sea, from which rises a gate with two open golden doors, with two ducal crowns in the upper corners.
Participation
With City Council resolution no. 7 of 15 February 2016 the statute's title on decentralised bodies was repealed, when the district councils elected in 2011 ended their term: the text in force since 20 June 2016 no longer provides for districts (circoscrizioni). The statute allows the Comune to set up Consulte (advisory councils), whose number and subjects are set by the regulation on participation, and provides for a consultative referendum if the municipal boundaries change.
Data
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-22
Reviewed: 10/23/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31
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