Teatro Anatomico, Cradle of Modern Anatomy and Surgery

Piazza Galvani 1

A classroom with stairs resembling a small theater

4.3

Introduction

Located on the second floor of the Archiginnasio Palace in Bologna, it is the earliest anatomical theater in the world. Under the strict control of the Catholic Church in Europe in the 16th century, human dissection was once banned, but the University of Bologna was granted permission. The dissection experiments conducted here not only reshaped the foundation of modern medicine, but also marked the beginning of research on plastic surgery in history. The laboratory is located in a beautifully decorated interior, like a museum, with a focus on protecting historical and cultural heritage. It was damaged during World War II, but after nearly half a century of reconstruction, it has been restored to its former glory. On one side of the theater walls hangs a mural of a physician holding a nose, which is an important milestone in the history of plastic surgery.