churches and historic buildings
The church dedicated to St. John the Baptist by the cemetery is the oldest in Germignaga.
It is already mentioned in the "Liber Notitiae Sanctorum Mediolane" (end of XIII century), it is supposed that the oldest core es back 1000/1100,
above all for the bell tower of roman style.
Until 1671 it was a small size building, located close to the area once occupied by a medieval castle.
In that year a first extension designed by engineer Agostino Silva di Morbio according to the local historian A.Passera takes place.
Followed it is by a second extension in 1698 and by a third one around 1770.
The Church dedicated to St.Rocco, the current town parish, should date back to 1490, when the first original chapel was built as a sign of gratitude after the terrible spread of plague in Germignaga, which had spared only six families.
A first modification was carried out in 1574 after the instructions given by St.Carlo Borromeo, following his pastoral visit in Germignaga, but it was only in 1703 that the most significant works of enlargement began. Between 1833 and 1842 the Sacristies are made, the back perimeter is extended and new chapels dedicated to St.Sebastian,our lady of sorrows, and to St.Rosary are built.
In 1852 they installed the valuable pipe organ made by Francesco Carnisi from Luino, still working, while in 1933 it was commissioned the construction of the crystal urn with the dead Christ, which is carried in procession on Good Friday evening.
In 1942 the frescoes above the altar were made, the windows over the choir were installed and the Baptistery was restored,while around the 1980s, the last restoration works on the roof and inside the church were made.
The most valuable aspect of the building is undoubtedly the facade, whose stylistic features have allowed its ascription to the XVII century architect Pietrasanta.
The small church devoted to San Carlo Borromeo was built between 1657 and 1664, on population request
due to the devotion to the cardinal from Arona and thank to a fund available at that time.
The church was entirely built by the population, which worked for free also on holiday days with a special
authorization given the prohibition of that time.
In 1841a lighting stroke the bell tower and it also damaged the roof and lateral walls. Damages were repaired by citizens again,
but in 1910 other works were needed.
Every year an amazing nativity scene is set up inside it.
The contour of the former heliotherapy colony is unmistakable,
a building which extends over the lake by the beach, and which the in habitants of germignaghesi have called "The oblong" for a long time now,
it is 1929 when they plan of using the former dock landing by the lake not in use for over 10 years, to realize a structure to
the purpose of childcare and in 1993 the building is solemnly inaugurated.
For several years, hundreds of young boys and girls have spent their summer by the lake, in unisex uniforms with shorts and a white T-shirt,
until the summer of 1948, which will mark the last year of activity of the building as a heliotherapy colony.
The imposing buildings situated at the entrance of the village along the river Tresa housed a major source of work for many families from Germignaga until a few years ago the skil factories Stehli.
The construction of the original plant is due however to Francis Huber, who in 1839 established the spinning plant, employing hundreds of young women.
A few years later the factory passed to the Bozzottis, owners of other similar estabilshments in the area and in 1885 to the Swiss family Stehli Hirt, who ran it for over a century, expanding the entire industrial centre several times and exporting fine silk fabrics of the highest quality, all over the world.
In the early 2000s the production ceased, at all the entire area was then inserted by the previous local governments into an integrated plan of action, with the hope that a complete requalification of the entire area may take place as soon as possible.
