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Torsti Lehtinen [SEP] Torsti Lehtinen has also been active as a translator. His translations include the main works of Søren Kierkegaard, as well as works from Swedish and English. Torsti Lehtinen has taught philosophy and creative writing at many Finnish universities and academic institutions, and has held seminars and given lectures at, amongst others, the universities of Helsinki, Tartu and Reykjavik, and the Nordens folkliga akademi in Gothenburg.

Torsti Lehtinen [SEP] He has been awarded several literature prizes, e.g. The WSOY Literature Award, and he won The National Biennial Championships in Essayism in 1995. Torsti Lehtinen served on the board of the Central Finland Writers’ Association, and, after moving back to Helsinki, was invited to become president of the Helsinki Writers’ Guild in 2003. He also served as vice-president of the Finnish Writers’ Association (2000–2005) and was created an honorary member of The Central-Finland Writers’ Association in 1995.

Torsti Lehtinen [SEP] His latest novel "Kainin Merkki" or "The Mark of Cain" was published by Arktinen Banaani in September 2013.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The "Normandie" class of dreadnought battleships was a group of five ships ordered for the French Navy in 1912–1913. The class comprised "Normandie", the lead ship, "Flandre", "Gascogne", "Languedoc", and . The design incorporated a radical arrangement for the twelve 34 cm (13.4 in) main battery guns: three quadruple-gun turrets, as opposed to the twin-gun turrets used by most other navies.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The first four ships were also equipped with an unusual hybrid propulsion system that used both steam turbines and triple-expansion steam engines to increase fuel efficiency. The ships, named after provinces of France, were never completed due to shifting production requirements after the beginning of World War I in 1914. The first four ships were sufficiently advanced in construction to permit their launching to clear the slipways for other, more important work. Many of the guns built for the ships were instead converted for use by the Army.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] After the war, the French Navy considered several proposals to complete the ships, either as originally designed or modernized to account for lessons from the war. The weak French post-war economy forestalled these plans and the first four ships were broken up. The last ship, "Béarn", which was not significantly advanced at the time work halted, was converted into an aircraft carrier in the 1920s. She remained in service in various capacities until the 1960s and was ultimately scrapped in 1967.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] In December 1911, the French Navy's Technical Committee () issued a report that examined the design of the that had been ordered for 1912. They concluded that the amidships gun turret was an unsatisfactory choice, based on previous experiences with blast damage on battleships from the 1880s. This position influenced the construction of the next class of dreadnought battleships, for which design work began shortly thereafter. The French Navy's design staff () submitted the first draft of the new dreadnought design in February 1912.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The size of French shipyard facilities significantly affected the design. Length was limited to , beam to , and draft to approximately . These dimensions limited the design to a displacement of around and a speed of , depending on the armament arrangement. The design staff presented three alternatives, all armed with twenty guns in a new twin-gun casemate mounting as the secondary armament. The first was a design with the same number of guns as the "Bretagne"s, but with a top speed greater than 21 knots.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The second was for a ship with a dozen 34 cm guns arranged in two quadruple-gun turrets with superfiring twin-gun turrets and a speed of 20 knots. The last proposal was a ship that was armed with sixteen guns in four quadruple turrets and a speed of 20 knots. The staff also prepared two different designs for the propulsion system.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Two sets of direct-drive steam turbines were proposed, as in the "Bretagne" class; the other option was a hybrid system that used one set of direct-drive turbines on the two inner propeller shafts, and two vertical triple-expansion steam engines (VTE) on the outer shafts for low-speed cruising. This was intended to reduce coal consumption at cruising speed as direct-drive turbines are very inefficient at moderate to low speeds.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The fifth ship, "Béarn", was instead equipped with two sets of turbines to allow her to operate with the "Bretagne" class. The next issue to be addressed was the main armament. The General Staff decided in March 1912 to retain the 34 cm gun of the "Bretagne" class. They chose the new quadruple turret and preferred an armament of twelve guns in two quadruple and two double turrets.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] They favored the all-turbine design, but wished to retain the twenty-two 138.6 mm guns of the "Bretagne"s. The following month, the Naval Supreme Council () could not reach a decision on the quadruple turret as it was still being developed, but wished to revisit the issue once it was further along. The council rejected the twin mounting proposed for the secondary armament and proposed a mixture of eighteen 138.6 mm and a dozen guns.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] It did accept the hybrid propulsion system and the armor layout of the "Bretagne" class was to be retained, though an increase in the thickness of the main belt was to be effected if possible. Théophile Delcassé, the Naval Minister (), accepted the council's recommendations with the proviso that the arrangement of five twin turrets as in the "Bretagne"-class battleships would be substituted if the quadruple turrets were not ready in time.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The Technical Department prepared two new designs, A7, which incorporated the five twin turrets, and A7bis, which was armed with three quadruple turrets. The A7bis design was some lighter than the A7 design, and on 6 April, the Navy accepted a quadruple-gun-turret design submitted by Saint-Chamond. On 22 May it realized that the 100 mm gun would not ready by the time construction was scheduled to begin, so the design reverted to the 138.6 mm gun.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Further work revealed that two additional guns could be accommodated and the Naval Supreme Council accepted the design with twenty-four 138.6 mm guns on 8 July. The "Normandie"-class ships were long at the waterline, and long overall. They had a beam of and a mean draft of at full load. They were intended to displace at normal load and at deep load. The ships were subdivided by transverse bulkheads into 21 watertight compartments.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The first four ships were equipped with one set of steam turbines driving the inner pair of four-bladed, propellers. " Normandie" and "Flandre" had license-built Parsons turbines, "Gascogne" had turbines by Rateau-Bretagne, and "Languedoc"s turbines were built by Schneider-Zoelly. The four ships had a pair of four-cylinder vertical triple-expansion engines that drove the two outer three-bladed, propellers for steaming astern or cruising at low speed.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The last ship, "Béarn", was equipped with two sets of Parsons turbines, each driving a pair of three-bladed, 3.34 m propellers. " Normandie" and "Gascogne" were fitted with 21 Guyot-du Temple-Normand small-tube boilers, "Flandre" and "Languedoc" were equipped with 28 Belleville large-tube boilers, while "Béarn" had 28 Niclausse boilers. All of the boilers operated at a pressure of .

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The ships' engines were rated at and were designed to give them a speed of , although use of forced draft was intended to increase their output to and the maximum speed to . The ships were designed to carry of coal and of fuel oil, but up to of coal could be stored in the hull. At a cruising speed of , the ships could steam for ; at , the range fell to , and at top speed, it dropped to .

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The ships would have had a crew of 44 officers and 1,160 enlisted men when serving as a flagship. The main battery of the "Normandie" class consisted of a dozen 45-caliber Canon de 34 cm Modèle 1912s mounted in three quadruple turrets. One turret was placed forward, one amidships, and one aft, all on the centerline. The turrets weighed , and were electrically trained and hydraulically elevated. The guns were divided into pairs and moved together in twin cradles; a thick bulkhead divided the turrets in half.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Each pair of guns had its own ammunition hoist and magazine. They could be fired simultaneously or independently. The guns had a range of and had a rate of fire of two rounds per minute. The shells were armor-piercing rounds and were fired with a muzzle velocity of . Each gun was to have been supplied with 100 rounds of ammunition. Five rangefinders provided fire-control for the main battery.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Two of the rangefinders were mounted on the conning tower and the other three were placed atop each of the turrets. The turrets also had auxiliary gunnery-control stations. The ships would also have been armed with a secondary battery of twenty-four 55-caliber 138.6 mm Modèle 1910 guns, each singly mounted in casemates near the main-gun turrets. These guns fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of . The guns would have been supplied with 275 rounds of ammunition each.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Six Canon de Modèle 1902 anti-aircraft guns, which were converted from low-angle guns, would also have been carried by the ships. The ships also would have been equipped with six underwater torpedo tubes, three on each broadside. Each ship was to be supplied with 36 torpedoes. The armor belt of the "Normandie"-class ships was made from Krupp cemented armor and extended almost the entire length of the hull (), save at the stern.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The belt consisted of two rows of plates that were a total of high, of which was below the waterline. The thickest portion of the armor protected the hull between the barbettes of the end turrets and was thick. Each of the upper plates was tapered to a thickness of at its top edge and the lower plates were tapered to at their bottom edge. From No.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] 1 barbette to the bow, the plates progressively reduced in thickness from at the bow; the upper edges also progressively reduced from while the bottom edge of these plates was thick. Aft of the rear turret, the armor plates were progressively reduced in thickness from 260 millimeters to 140 millimeters. Their upper edges also progressively thinned from and their lower edges were the same 80 millimeters in thickness as their forward equivalents. The aft belt terminated in a transverse bulkhead.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Above the waterline belt was an upper strake of 160-millimeter armor that extended between the fore and aft groups of casemates for the secondary armament. The portions of the barbettes that extended outside the upper armor were protected by plates while the interior surfaces were only thick to save weight. The turrets were protected with an armor thickness of 300 millimeters on their faces, on the sides, and 100 millimeters on the roof. The sides of the conning tower were thick and its roof was also 100 millimeters thick.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The lower armored deck consisted of a single plate of mild steel for a width of along the centerline and another layer of the same thickness was added outboard of that. The deck sloped downwards to meet the bottom of the waterline belt and a plate of armor steel reinforced the sloped portion of the deck to give a total thickness of . Two layers of plating made up the center of the upper armored deck and it was reinforced to a total of along the edges and above the magazine.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The hull of the "Normandie"s had a double bottom deep. Their propulsion machinery spaces and magazines were protected by a torpedo bulkhead that consisted of two layers of nickel-chrome steel plates. The outer side of the bulkhead was lined with a 10-millimeter plate of corrugated flexible steel intended to absorb the force of a torpedo detonation. Another measure intended to dissipate the force were tubes that extended from the double bottom to the upper armored deck that were intended to divert the gases of the detonation away from the torpedo bulkhead.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Concerned about the possibility of capsizing after asymmetric flooding, the design incorporated empty compartments below the waterline and outboard of the fore and aft 34-centimeter magazines, the engine rooms and the midships 138.6-millimeter magazines that were intended to be flooded to correct any list. "Normandie" and "Languedoc" were ordered on 18 April 1913, although neither was formally authorized until the enabling finance bill () was passed on 30 July, and "Flandre" and "Gascogne" on that same day. "

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Béarn" had been planned to be ordered on 1 October 1914, but it was brought forward to 1 January; the five ships would permit the creation of two four-ship divisions with the three "Bretagne"-class dreadnoughts then under construction. Work on the class was suspended at the outbreak of World War I, as all resources were needed for the Army. The mobilization in July greatly impeded construction as those workmen in the reserves were called to the colors and work was effectively halted later that month.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The labor force available to work on the "Normandie"s was further reduced by conscription and orders for munitions for the Army. In light of such constraints, the navy decided that only those ships that could be completed quickly would be worked upon, like the "Brétagne"s, although construction of the first four "Normandie"s was authorized to continue to clear the slipways for other purposes. Construction of "Béarn" had been already halted on 23 July and all further work on her was abandoned.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] In July 1915 work on the ships' armament was suspended, save the guns themselves, which could be converted for use by the Army. Four of the completed 34 cm guns were converted into railway guns for the French Army. Nine of the guns built for "Languedoc" were also mounted on railway carriages in 1919, after the end of the war. Several of the 138.6 mm guns were also converted for service with the Army.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The boilers intended for "Normandie" and "Gascogne" were used to replace the worn-out boilers of various destroyers, namely the purchased from Argentina in 1914 and the three "Aetos"-class ships seized from the Royal Hellenic Navy in late 1916. Those boilers built for "Flandre" were installed in new anti-submarine ships. The armor plate and turntables of "Gascogne"s turrets had been ordered from Fives-Lille, whose factory was captured by the Germans in 1914.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] They were discovered in one of Krupp's factories in Germany in 1921 and returned to the Navy. In January 1918, a final wartime order specified that the ships remained suspended, but that all material that had been stockpiled for work would remain in place. By that time, some of steel plating that had been earmarked for "Gascogne" had been taken for other uses.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] On 22 November, days after the Armistice with Germany, the design staff sent the General Staff a proposal to complete the first four "Normandie"s to a modified design. The General Staff replied that the ships would need a top speed of and a more powerful main battery. Since the dockyard facilities had not been enlarged during the war, the size of the ships could not be significantly increased. This allowed for only modest improvements, particularly for the installation of anti-torpedo bulges.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] In February 1919, the General Staff decided that the ships would be completed anyway, because new vessels incorporating the lessons of the war could not be completed for at least six to seven years, due to the lengthy design studies such battleships would require. The Technical Department created a revised design that incorporated some improvements. The machinery for the four ships that had been launched during the war would be retained; increasing their speed to required a corresponding increase to , which could be obtained by building new turbines.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The elevation of the main guns was to be increased to 23–24 degrees, which would increase the range of the guns to lest they be out-ranged by foreign battleships. The need to engage targets at longer ranges was confirmed by the examination of one of the ex-Austrian ships that had been surrendered to France at the end of the war. The main armored deck was to be increased to to increase resistance to plunging fire.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] The submerged 450 mm torpedo tubes were to be replaced with deck-mounted tubes, and fire control equipment was to be improved. Equipment for handling a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft and a single-seat fighter was also to be installed. After the war, Admiral Pierre Ronarc'h became Chief of the General Staff, and in July 1919 he argued that the Italian Navy was the country's primary rival, and that they might resume work on the s that had been suspended during the war.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] He suggested there were three options for the first four ships: complete them as designed, increase the range of their guns and improve their armor, or lengthen their hull and install new engines to increase speed. The Technical Department determined that lengthening the hulls by could increase speed by as much as . Nevertheless, by 12 September 1919, he had decided that completing the ships would be too expensive for the fragile French economy.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Plans for the first four ships included converting them into cargo ships, oil tankers, or passenger liners, and using them as floating oil depots, but these ideas were ultimately rejected. The four ships were formally cancelled in the 1922 construction program, and were laid up in Landevennec and cannibalized for parts before being broken up in 1923–1926. Much of the salvaged material was incorporated into completing "Béarn" and in modernizing the battleship .

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Plans to complete "Béarn" included replacement of the coal-fired boilers with eight oil-fired Niclausse boilers and new, more powerful turbines. A new quadruple turret that allowed for greater range was considered, along with twin turrets mounting guns. The battleship was launched on 15 April 1920 to clear the slip. A temporary wooden platform was built atop the lower armored deck later that year to serve as a flight deck for aircraft landing trials.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] Transverse arresting wires that were weighted by sandbags were improvised and the evaluation successfully took place off Toulon in late 1920. In 1922, the Navy instead decided to complete the ship as an aircraft carrier. Conversion work began in August 1923, and was completed by May 1927 using the hybrid propulsion system from "Normandie" with a dozen Normand boilers. The ship was the first carrier of the French Navy.

Normandie-class battleship [SEP] She served in the fleet through World War II, generally being used as a ferry for aircraft; she did not see any combat as she spent most of the war in Martinique. In 1944, she was refitted in the United States and equipped with a battery of modern American anti-aircraft guns. She remained in service through the First Indochina War, still as an aircraft ferry. She was ultimately broken up for scrap starting in 1967.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] New York State Route 129 (NY 129) is a long state highway in the western part of Westchester County, New York. The route begins at New York State Route 9A (South Riverside Avenue) in the village of Croton on Hudson at the Hudson River. NY 129 then travels through the towns of Cortlandt and Yorktown, running along the northern edge of the New Croton Reservoir. It passes under (southbound) and over (northbound) the Taconic State Parkway in Yorktown with no direct interchange.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] NY 129 ends in Yorktown at an intersection with NY 118. NY 129 was designated in 1908 as a section of Route 2, a legislative route designated by the New York State Legislature. However, in 1921, the route was realigned off the route that would become NY 129 in favor of NY 9A. Nine years later, the state designated the route as NY 129 during the state highway renumbering.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] The route originally followed a route used by NY 131 once the routes were swapped in the 1940s, with NY 131 being decommissioned soon after. NY 129 was extended to end at a traffic circle with NY 100 in the hamlet of Pines Bridge. This lasted up to at least 1969, when the designation was truncated back to NY 118, which was extended to the traffic circle instead. The traffic circle in Pines Bridge was removed by 1991.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] Originally, NY 129 had an interchange with the Taconic, but the ramps were removed in 1969 and a new interchange was built on nearby Underhill Road. NY 129 begins at an intersection with NY 9A (South Riverside Avenue) in the village of Croton-on-Hudson, next to U.S. Route 9 (US 9). NY 129 proceeds northward from NY 9A along Maple Street, a two-lane commercial street through the village.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] At Van Cortlandt Park, NY 129 becomes residential, passing Croton-Harmon High School as it bends to the northeast. At the junction with Grand Street, NY 129 continues northeast on Grand Street, which is a two-lane residential street. The route continues northeast through the village, crossing an intersection with Quaker Bridge Road before becoming a wooded lane in the town of Cortlandt. In Cortlandt, NY 129 continues north as Grand Street, paralleling a local creek and entering Croton Dam Plaza.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] Running along the western edge of the plaza, NY 129 bends north at a view of the New Croton Dam, continuing its way north alongside the New Croton Reservoir. NY 129 soon changes names to Croton Dam Road, passing east of the Croton Harman School District headquarters. At an intersection with East Mount Airy Road, NY 129 runs eastward along the reservoir, changing names to Yorktown Road.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] On a short stint away from the reservoir, NY 129 intersects with Croton Road before crossing over the Hunters Brook Bridge, where it crosses into the historic community of Huntersville. Continuing northeast from Huntersville, NY 129, now known as Croton Lake Road, bends through the town of Yorktown.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] Through Yorktown, NY 129 is a two-lane residential street alongside the reservoir, soon making a gradual bend to the southeast into an intersection with County Route 131 (CR 131; Underhill Avenue), a former alignment of NY 131. At the junction with CR 131, NY 129 turns southward, soon winding its way southeast under the lanes of the Taconic State Parkway, and back alongside the New Croton Reservoir.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] After crossing under the Taconic, the route then drops back down to the reservoir and passing a house reported to have been moved from Huntersville before it was flooded. Making several winds to the southeast, NY 129 connects to the Gate House Bridge, soon running eastward through Yorktown. NY 129 intersects with NY 118 (Saw Mill River Road). This intersection serves as the eastern terminus of NY 129, as NY 118 continues east along the reservoir.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] What is now NY 129 was developed in the early 20th century as part of a general project to improve access and transportation across the reservoirs. In 1908, the New York State Legislature created Route 2, an unsigned legislative route (an unsigned internal route) extending from the New York City line at Yonkers to the Columbia County village of Valatie.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] Route 2 initially followed modern NY 129, Croton Avenue, and NY 35 between Croton-on-Hudson and Peekskill; however, it was realigned on March 1, 1921, to use what is now NY 9A instead. NY 129 was designated to most of its current alignment as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] It originally followed Croton Dam Road, the southern perimeter road around the New Croton Reservoir, while Croton Lake Road, the northern route, was designated as NY 131 by the following year. The alignments of NY 129 and NY 131 in the vicinity of the reservoir were swapped and the NY 131 designation ceased to exist by the mid-1940s. With the route changes, NY 129 was extended to terminate at NY 100 at a traffic circle in Pines Bridge while NY 118 terminated near Croton Lake.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] This extension lasted for over two decades until NY 118 was extended over the alignment of NY 129 to the traffic circle by 1969. Ramps from NY 129 to the Taconic State Parkway were removed by the East Hudson Parkway Authority in November 1969, to be replaced with a bridge. This required a shutdown of NY 129 and required drivers going north to Underhill Road.

New York State Route 129 [SEP] In fall 1988, the original Hunter Brook Bridge (less than wide) was replaced, as it was never designed to take heavy traffic such as concrete-mixing trucks. Between 1988 and 1991, the traffic circle between NY 118 and NY 100 was removed in favor of a three-way intersection between the two highways.

Novara [SEP] Novara (; in the local Lombard dialect) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 104 284 inhabitants (1-1-2017), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin and from Genoa to Switzerland. Novara lies between the rivers Agogna and Terdoppio in northeastern Piedmont, from Milan and from Turin.

Novara [SEP] Novara was founded in ancient times by the Romans. Its name is formed from "Nov", meaning "new", and "Aria", the name the Cisalpine Gauls used for the surrounding region. Ancient "Novaria", which dates to the time of the Ligures and the Celts, was a municipium and was situated on the road from Vercellae (Vercelli) to (Mediolanum) Milan. Its position on perpendicular roads (still intact today) dates to the time of the Romans.

Novara [SEP] After the city was destroyed in 386 by Magnus Maximus for having supported his rival Valentinian II, it was rebuilt by Theodosius I. Subsequently, it was sacked by Radagaisus (in 405) and Attila (in 452). Under the Lombards, Novara became a duchy; under Charles the Fat, a countship. Novara came to enjoy the rights of a free imperial city. In 1110, it was conquered by Henry V and destroyed, but in 1167 it joined the Lombard League.

Novara [SEP] At the end of the 12th century, it accepted the protection of Milan and became practically a dominion of the Visconti and later of the Sforza. In the Battle of Novara in 1513, Swiss mercenaries defending Novara for the Sforzas of Milan routed the French troops besieging the city. This defeat ended the French invasion of Italy in the War of the League of Cambrai. In 1706, Novara, which had long ago been promised by Filippo Maria Visconti to Amadeus VIII of Savoy, was occupied by Savoyard troops.

Novara [SEP] With the Peace of Utrecht, the city, together with Milan, became part of the Habsburg Empire. After its occupation in 1734, Novara passed, in the following year, to the House of Savoy. After Napoleon's campaign in Italy, Novara became the capital of the Department of the Agogna, but was then reassigned to the House of Savoy in 1814. In 1821, it was the site of a battle in which regular Sardinian troops defeated the Piedmontese constitutional liberals.

Novara [SEP] In the even larger Battle of Novara in 1849, the Sardinian army was defeated by the Austrian army of Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz. This defeat led to the abdication of Charles Albert of Sardinia and to the partial occupation of the city by the Austrians. The defeat of the Sardinians can be seen as the beginning of the Italian unification movement. A decree in 1859 created the province of Novara, which then included the present-day provinces of Vercelli, Biella, and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

Novara [SEP] The city of Novara had a population of 25,144 in 1861. Industrialisation during the 20th century brought an increase in the city's population to 102,088 in 1981. The city's population has changed little in subsequent years. Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, former president of Italy and Italian senator for life, was born in Novara in 1918. Novara's sights can be divided into two groupings. The city's most important sights lie within its historic centre, the area once enclosed by the city walls.

Novara [SEP] However, several important sights also lie outside the line of the former city walls. The old urban core makes up the "Historic centre", situated in the district of the same name. Novara once had an encircling wall, which was demolished to permit urban development. Of the old wall there remains only the "Barriera Albertina", a complex of two neo-classical buildings that constituted the gate of entry to the city, the required passageway for those who traveled from Turin to Milan.

Novara [SEP] After their removal, the walls were replaced by the present-day "baluardi", the broad, tree-lined boulevards that surround the Historic Centre. The most imposing monument in the city is the Basilica of San Gaudenzio, with a cupola high, designed by Alessandro Antonelli and constructed in 1888. The bell tower is also of particular interest; it was designed by Benedetto Alfieri, uncle of the more famous Vittorio Alfieri.

Novara [SEP] The centre of the religious life of the city is the Novara Cathedral, in the neo-classical style, also designed by Alessandro Antonelli. It rises exactly where the temple of Jupiter stood in the time of the Romans. Facing the Duomo is the oldest building in Novara today: the early Christian "Battistero" (Baptistry).

Novara [SEP] Close to the Duomo is the courtyard of the "Broletto" (the historic meeting place of the city council), the centre of the political life of the imperial free city of Novara.

Novara [SEP] Overlooking the courtyard of the Broletto are the "Palazzo del Podestà" ("Palace of the Podestà"), "Palazzetto dei Paratici" ("Little Palace of the Paratici Family"), site of the Civic Museum and of the Gallery of Modern Art, the Palace of the City Council, and a building of the 15th century.

Novara [SEP] Not far from the Piazza della Repubblica (formerly Piazza Duomo) is the Piazza Cesare Battisti (known to Novaresi as the "Piazza delle Erbe", "Herbs square"), which constitutes the exact centre of the city of Novara. In Piazza Giacomo Matteotti stands the "Palazzo Natta-Isola", seat of the province and of the prefecture of Novara. The landmark feature of this palace is its clock tower.

Novara [SEP] Extending from this square is the via Fratelli Rosselli, along which is the "Palazzo Cabrino", the official seat of the administrative offices of the city. As it was a Roman city, the street network of Novara is characterized by a cardo and a Decumanus Maximus, which correspond respectively to the present-day Corso Cavour and Corso Italia. The two streets cross at the so-called "Angolo delle Ore" (Corner of the Hours).

Novara [SEP] The largest square is Piazza Martiri della Libertà (formerly Piazza Castello) dominated by the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy. Overlooking the Piazza Martiri are the "Castello Visconteo-Sforzesco", built by the Milanese dukes Visconti and Sforza, and the Teatro Coccia. The Castello Visconteo-Sforzesco, once much larger than the complex that remains today, is surrounded by the "Allea", one of the largest public gardens in Novara.

Novara [SEP] Other important squares are: Places of interest situated outside the belt of the "baluardi" include the Church of San Nazzaro della Costa, with its attached abbey, restored in the 15th century by Bernardino of Siena, and the Ossuary of Bicocca, in pyramidal form, which stands in the neighbourhood of Bicocca, in memory of the fallen soldiers of the historic battle of 23 March 1849, between the Piedmontese (Sardinia) and Austrians.

Novara [SEP] Worthy of note are the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Saints Martino and Gaudenzio), built beginning in 1477 by the Augustinians, whose interior consists of a single nave with lateral chapels and paintings attributed to artists of the 15th century, among them Daniele de Bosis. In 2007, there were 102,862 people residing in Novara, of whom 49% were male and 51% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 16.35% of the population compared to pensioners who number 21.6%.

Novara [SEP] This compares with the Italian average of 18.06% (minors) and 19.94% (pensioners). The average age of Novara residents is 44 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Novara grew by 1.64%, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.85%. The birth rate in Novara is 9.15 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births. , 92.37% of the population was Italian.

Novara [SEP] The largest immigrant group comes from other European nations: 2.94%, North Africa: 2.23%, and Latin America: 0.71%. Like most of Italy, Novara is predominantly Roman Catholic. Novara is an important commercial centre of the Padan plain and is the seat of the Centro Intermodale Merci (CIM: Goods Intermodal Centre). Economically, it is affected by the proximity of Milan, and in fact many Milanese firms have offices in Novara.

Novara [SEP] The main economic products and services are: The city of Novara is a member of the TOP-IX (Torino-Piemonte Exchange Point) internet exchange consortium, a consortium to create an Internet Exchange Point for northwestern Italy. Companies based in Novara include the publishing company De Agostini. The local public transport agency is the SUN. The city is served by three railway stations: Novara is linked to Turin and Milan by the A4 motorway (via the junctions Novara Ovest and Novara Est).

Novara [SEP] The A26 motorway crosses most of Novara province, but there is not a junction that links it directly with Novara. To reach Novara from the A26, one must exit at Vercelli Est, but one can also reach Novara by way of the A4, which crosses the A26 at a junction. Novara is served by a system of dual-carriageway bypasses. The oldest such bypass is the Tangenziale Est, directly linked with the motorway junction Novara Est. In 2003, road works were completed on the Tangenziale Sud.

Novara [SEP] The S11 trunk road from Milan and Magenta passes through Novara on its way to Vercelli and Turin. Trunk roads to the north and south also link Novara to the motorway network. Novara Calcio is an association football club based in Novara. There is also a professional women's Serie A1 team. http://www.agilvolley.com/ The current mayor of Novara is Alessandro Canelli, elected in June 2016, representing a centre-right coalition.

Novara [SEP] Novara is divided into thirteen wards ("circoscrizioni"); several of these are formed of a number of quarters ("quartieri"), zones, and/or "frazioni" According to changes in local electoral laws, from June 2011 elections they were stripped of their elective bodies (council and president), thus remaining as a simple internal partition of the Comune. Novara is twinned with: br