Palazzo del Lloyd Triestino

Palazzo del Lloyd Triestino is a palace in Trieste, located in the beautiful Piazza Unità d’Italia. Formerly the headquarters of the shipping company Lloyd Triestino di Navigazione, the palace now houses the offices of the Presidency and Council of the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

SHORT HISTORY

Lloyd Triestino shipping company was established in 1833, and had its first headquarters in Piazza Tommaseo, then in Piazza della Borsa.

In 1880, a property was purchased in Piazza Unità d’Italia and a competition was held for the design of the new building, in which architects from Vienna and Trieste participated. Seven projects were submitted, but none of them met the needs of the company’s council, so it was decided to entrust the construction to the senior Austrian architect Heinrich von Ferstel.

The first stone was laid on December 6, 1880, and the construction was completed in 1883.

On May 1st, 1945, during the Second World War, the palace was seriously damaged by the artillery shells fired by the Germans.

During the years 1966 and 1967, the building underwent a radical restoration, consolidation and extension, with the internal floor raised towards the courtyard.

In 1991, the building became the seat of the Presidency of the Regional Council of the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

ARCHITECTURE

The main facade is beautifully decorated with allegorical statues. Above, we can find the central pediment with the emblem of the company, flanked by two women, two young men and the statues of Aeolus, Mercury, Vulcan and Neptune. On the ground floor, there are two beautiful female statues placed in two apsidal niches, the one on the left depicting Thetis, the symbol of fresh water, and the one on the right, Venus, the symbol of sea water. All the external sculptural groups were designed by two Viennese artists, Joseph Pokorny and Hugo Härdtl.

Two large marble sculptures depicting Intelligence and Work, signed respectively by Ivan Rendic and Francesco Pezzicar, decorate the atrium of the main entrance.

Inside, the monumental entrance staircase with columns and pillars in red Verona marble, the candelabra by Albert Milde and a splendid large hall stand out. Inside the hall, there are two large portraits of the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Empress Elisabeth, and two precious Murano chandeliers hanging from a beautiful coffered ceiling.

HOW TO GET THERE

Palazzo del Lloyd Triestino is located about 1 kilometer away from the Trieste Centrale railway station. The closest bus stop is Riva Caduti per l’Italianita di Trieste, about 100 meters away, on the bus Lines 08, 09, 10, 11, 24 and 30.