A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other areas of the city. Versions of such restricted areas have been found across the world, each with their own names, classifications, and groupings of people.
The main square of what was once the Venetian Ghetto in Italy (2013)
Jewish quarter of Caltagirone, Sicily
Demolition of the Jewish ghetto, Frankfurt, 1868
Children in the Ghetto and the Ice-Cream Man — postcard from 1909 in Maxwell Street, Chicago
The Venetian Ghetto was the area of Venice in which Jews were forced to live by the government of the Venetian Republic. The English word ghetto is derived from the Jewish ghetto in Venice. The Venetian Ghetto was instituted on 29 March 1516 by decree of Doge Leonardo Loredan and the Venetian Senate. It was not the first time that Jews in Venice were compelled to live in a segregated area of the city. In 1555, Venice had 160,208 inhabitants, including 923 Jews, who were mainly merchants.
The main square of the Venetian Ghetto
Ponte de Gheto Novo
Scuola Grande Tedesca (Great German Synagogue)
Scuola Italiana (Italian Synagogue)