Civic War for Peace Museum "Diego de Henriquez"

The “Diego de Henriquez” War for Peace Museum does not aim to be a simple war museum, but rather “a museum of the twentieth-century society in conflict with its own demons and horrors”, intended to point to the long and troubled path toward a necessary and, hopefully, lasting peace.

Created from the collection of the Trieste scholar after whom it is named, the museum holds about 15,000 inventoried items and currently allows visitors to explore the events of the First World War in depth. The exhibition spaces occupy the buildings of the former “Duca delle Puglie” barracks, whose size makes it possible to display not only artefacts and documents of every kind, but also a wide selection of military vehicles and heavy artillery pieces. There are also rooms where books and documents can be consulted, as well as a large hall on the first floor used for events and temporary exhibitions.

The visit begins on the ground floor of Hangar 3, home to the permanent in-depth exhibition “1914–1918 THE FUNERAL OF PEACE”, entirely devoted to the First World War. It opens with a restored funeral carriage, contemporary to the period and similar in size and style to the one that carried through the streets of Trieste the body of Sofia Chotek, killed in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 together with her husband Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. A rich display of period finds, explanatory texts, infographics and videos then accompanies visitors along the route.

The upper floor is devoted to the history of Trieste during the First World War and to the period between 1918 and the city’s return to Italy in 1954, also touching on some events of the Second World War. Here, visitors can also learn about the life of the Trieste-born collector Diego de Henriquez, closely intertwined with that of his home city. On the same floor, there is also a hall for events and temporary themed exhibitions, helping to keep the museum dynamic and constantly evolving.