Civico Museo del Mare

The Civic Sea Museum of Trieste occupies Magazzino 26 in the Porto Vecchio. Ship models, maritime instruments, cartography, shipping-company memorabilia and collections on fishing and sea sports trace the city’s relationship with the Adriatic.

Why it matters

The museum brings together collections formed by several institutions. The Società (Austriaca) di Pesca e Pescicoltura Marina, founded in 1888, developed a teaching collection that became the Museo della Pesca in 1904. Earlier, the Accademia di Nautica e Commercio, established under Maria Theresa in 1753, collected ship models for the training of officers. A maritime exhibition followed in 1910–11. The collections were reunited as the Museo del Mare in 1922 and transferred to the Comune in 1932. The museum moved to Magazzino 26 in 2023.

What to notice

Ship models include sailing vessels, paddle steamers, dockyard models and examples of steam machinery. The displays also include navigational instruments, charts and technical drawings. Dedicated sections focus on Josef Ressel and Guglielmo Marconi. Models and objects from the Lloyd and Cosulich shipping lines document passenger shipping, including the “white ships” and their routes. Other exhibits include tableware and silver from the liners, the helm wheel of the Vettor Pisani, and material on the Barcolana regatta.

Context and history

After the First World War, the collections regrouped under the name Museo del Mare. In 1968, the Civic Sea Museum was installed in the former Lazzaretto San Carlo in Via Campo Marzio, in a building refurbished by architect Umberto Nordio. Its relocation to Magazzino 26 returned the collection to the Porto Vecchio, the harbour district whose maritime history it documents. The Lloyd company section opened in October 2025.