History of Trieste

Trieste is a city found in northeastern Italy, on the Adriatic Sea and at the border with Slovenia. This city had a long history of foreign occupations and invasions. Trieste was founded in the third millennium b. C by the Carni tribe. Various tribes fought for the control of the settlement until it was conquered in 177 b. C. by Julius Caesar who named it Tergeste. When the barbarians annihilated the Western Roman Empire, Tergeste remained under Byzantine control and became an important military center and port. In 788 a. C, it became part of the Frank kingdom, became a free city and after a brief occupation by the Republic of Venice, Trieste joined the Austrian Empire. It became an important port but was occupied by Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. After Napoleon's first defeat in 1813, Trieste returned to the Austrian Empire. During the beginning of the twentieth century, Trieste was home to many artists and thinkers such as Joyce, Svevo and Saba. After World War I came to an end, Trieste was transferred from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the Italian Kingdom. Many different cultures coexisted in Trieste but this peace came to an end during World War II. Trieste is remembered for three terrible events: The “Risiera” concentration camp, the “Foibe” massacres and the Exodus of the Istrians. During the Worls War II, after the Italian armistice, Trieste became part of the German-controlled Adriatic Littoral Operation Zone. There was a struggle for the city's control between the Allies and Yugoslavians, who shot on a pro-Italian manifestation killing five civilians. However, the Yugoslavians, under Allied pressure, left Trieste. In 1947, Trieste became an independent state known as the "Free Territory of Trieste" and was under Anglo-american influence. Trieste returned to the Republic of Italy on October 26, 1954.

Further information on the city
Further information on the "Foibe" massacre
Further information on the "Risiera"
Further information on the Istrian exodus