Modena (ancient Mutina), city in northern Italy, capital of Modena Province, in Emilia-Romagna Region. The city is an agricultural and industrial centre, with factories producing machinery, steel, motor vehicles, and processed foods. Modena has a university (1175), an academy of sciences and arts, an observatory, a botanic garden, and military schools. It is the seat of an archbishop. The cathedral of St Germinianus, a Romanesque building begun in 1099, has a fine façade, and a vast campanile in white marble. The cathedral, together with its tall tower, known as Torre Civica, and the surrounding Piazza Grande, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Founded as an Etruscan town, Modena became a Roman colony in the 2nd century bc. From 1288 until 1452, when it became the capital of a duchy, Modena was ruled by the Este family of Ferrara. It became part of the kingdom of Italy in 1861. Population 180,080 (2007 estimate).