History
Known in ancient times as Iria, it took its name from the river on which it was situated. It was on the road from Piacenza to Dertona, and was made a colony by Augustus (colonia Forum Iulium Iriensium).
In the 1st century CE it was destroyed by the Rugii, and it is next mentioned as Viqueria (contracted from vicus Iriae, Iria's village) in the 10th century. After several lordships, it was acquired by the House of Savoy in 1743 with the Concordat of Worms. Five years later it became provincial capital and received the city status.
In 1800 it was occupied by the troops of Napoleon, who set his headquarters in the Palazzo Dattili for the battle of Montebello. In 1805 it became part of the département of Genoa; after the French defeat in 1814, it was captured by the Austrians, who handed it over to the Piedmontese. In 1860 it was included in the province of Pavia.
During World War II, owing to its strategic position on the roads Milan-Genoa and Turin-Bologna, it was heavily bombed by the Allies.
On May 31, 1962, it was the location of a railway disaster that killed 62 people.
Read more about this topic: Voghera
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