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History of
Trieste
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Trieste main information page)
The first
inhabitants of this region lived in large caverns in the upland
plains at the beginning of the Ice Age. They were named the ?Carni?,
an Indo-European tribe. Subsequently sporadic settlements were
recognized in the Histri, until around 2000 B.C. and the Paleo
Veneti whose villages rapidly became commercial trading ports.
According
to mythological ancient texts, Jason and the Argonauts were said
to have landed here on their quest for the mythical Golden
Fleece; it was also the place where Antenore and Diomedes were
said to have disembarked during the battle for Troy.
By 177 B.C. the Romans came and the antique Tergeste became a
colony of the Roman Republic.
Commerce
and trading began to increase at an astonishing rate,
particularly during the second century A.D together with
architectural development.
After a
succession of Barbarian invasions, the region passed through the
hands of the Goths, the Longobards, the Byzantines and the
French.
In the
middle-age,
Trieste had
grown into an important port and trade hub and in
1382, an indissoluble relationship was created between Trieste
and the Hapsburgs until 1918.
The city was
occupied by French troops three times during the Napoleonic wars
from 1797 to 1809 and later annexed to the Illyrian province by
Napoleon. Following the
Napoleonic Wars, Trieste continued to prosper as free city under
the Austrian rule.
The reign of
Maria Teresa of Austria marked the beginning of a flourishing
era.
Merchants
and entrepreneurs from all over the world flocked to Trieste and
the city was radically restructured.
By the end
of the nineteenth century the city expand in population and
large insurance and shipping companies began to appear opening
shipyards and factories.
This migration gave rise to a multi-ethnic community
unpararalled in the rest of Europe. Numerous religions and
corresponding places of worship were welcomed to the area.
Beginning
of the XX century, the city atmosphere was quite cosmopolitan as
it was also frequented by artists such as Joyce, Svevo and
Umberto Saba.
Later,
together with Trento, the city was the main supporter of the
Irredentist movement for the Unity of Italy aimed to unify the
lands and culture of the Italian people.
In the
aftermaths of the Second World War Trieste was invaded by Tito's
Yugoslavian troops witnessing one of its most tragic events, the
incarceration of thousand of Italians in the Foibe, underground
rock cavities in the Carso Region.
It was not
until 1954, during which time Trieste was under a US military
rule as
an independent state (free territory of Trieste) that
the city
returned to Italy.
The border
questions with Yugoslavia and the status of the ethnic
minorities were settled definitively in during the ?70 with the
Treaty of Osimo.
Now, Trieste
has
become the most important centre for scientific research in
Italy notably with
The
?International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology,
the International School for Advanced Studies and the National
Institue of Nuclear Physics.
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