Skip to main content

The National Hall in Trieste again owned by the Slovenians

The procedure of returning the Fabiani Palace ended at the Prefecture of Trieste with a solemn signing over of the ownership of the National Hall, which took place on Monday.
The National Hall in Trieste

The National Hall in Trieste | Author STA

The event was ordained in July 2020 by the signing of a memorandum on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the burning of this Slovenian symbol in the city.

This was a historic day for the Slovenian national community in Italy. Now, 102 years since the arson attack by Italian Fascists, the National Hall is again in the hands of its original owners. The University of Trieste officially transferred the ownership of the Fabiani Palace to the National Hall Foundation. Its President Rado Race said, "This marks the work of more than a year, which was very challenging at times, in part due to the deadlines that had to be observed."

Roberto Di Lenarda, Rector of the University of Trieste, confirmed that the coordination had not been easy, but he highlighted the joint efforts for the attainment of the historic objective, "I believe that after this long and difficult return procedure, everyone will from now on only look ahead into the positive future and no longer back into the accusing past."

That the National Hall should come to life as a multicultural centre was the advice offered to the Slovenians by the Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who attended the ceremony. His presence was a sign of special attention towards the minority in question, including those of the border area. "With such events, Trieste is an example for the whole of Europe, as it is totally devoted to peace, integration and cooperation."

In addition to the ownership, a contract granting the University of Trieste to use the National Hall for free for ten years was also signed. The Department of Legal, Language, Interpreting and Translation Studies will move from the Fabiani Palace once its new location has been renovated. Until then, the Slovenians can still only use the building’s ground floor.