Ducal Palace of Parma

44°48′15″N 10°19′37″E / 44.804129°N 10.327056°E / 44.804129; 10.327056

The Ducal Palace of Parma (Italian: Palazzo Ducale di Parma) was a neoclassical palace in Parma, Italy. It was located on the west side of the Piazzale della Pace. Between its construction and 1859, it was the residence of the Dukes of Parma. After 1859, it became the prefecture.

Throughout its history, the palace was not a single building but a collection of privately acquired properties gradually embellished by the dukes, which never formed a homogeneous ensemble. Instead, they represented a grouping of diverse and unfinished projects.

One notable element associated with the Ducal Palace is the Palazzo della Pilotta, which was part of the complex. This compound housed a series of buildings and structures used for various purposes, including a library, theater, art gallery, and other cultural spaces.

During the Second World War, the residential core suffered severe damage during air raids in 1944, and it was not reconstructed afterwards. In its place, a large empty and landscaped space known as Piazza della Pace was established, which serves as public space and also as a reminder of the turbulent events that occurred during the war. Although the loss of the residential core of the Ducal Palace was a tragedy for the city's historical heritage, the presence of the Piazza della Pace symbolizes the post-war rebirth and reconstruction.