Civico Museo della Guerra per la Pace Diego de Henriquez

About the museum

The museum grew out of the collection of Trieste scholar Diego de Henriquez, born in 1909, who gathered weapons, uniforms, documents, photographs, diaries and objects of many kinds throughout his life. The City of Trieste acquired it from his heirs in 1983, and in 1997 the museum was formally established within the Civici Musei di Storia ed Arte (Civic Museums of History and Art). It comprises about 15,000 objects linked to the First and Second World Wars, plus a large library, a photographic fund and an archive.

Since 1999 the collection has been housed in the former Caserma “Duca delle Puglie”: first the vehicles and heavy artillery pieces were moved there, and from 2011 the objects and documents as well. After the renovation of two buildings, which made about 2,600 square metres available, the museum opened a new route, devoting much of the space to the First World War.

The museum does not present itself as a traditional war museum, but as a museum of 20th-century society at war, with its horrors, on the long road to peace. From October 2026 a new section in Hangar 8 permanently displays the full-scale replica of the bathyscaphe “Trieste”, linked to de Henriquez, a friend of Auguste and Jacques Piccard.

Highlights

• de Henriquez collection of around 15,000 objects from both World Wars
• Section on the First World War on the ground floor
• Heavy vehicles and artillery in the hangars
• Full-scale (1:1) replica of the bathyscaphe “Trieste” in Hangar 8
• Sheffield armour plates and hearse at the entrance

Permanent exhibitions

• Collezione de Henriquez e sezione sulla Grande Guerra – Weapons, uniforms, documents, heavy vehicles and artillery from the two World Wars, with a section on the First World War.
• Batiscafo «Trieste» – Full-scale replica of the bathyscaphe that reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench, displayed in Hangar 8.

Founded

1997

Operated by

Comune di Trieste – Civici Musei di Storia ed Arte

Visitors per year

approx. 10,070

Admission & discounts

Free admission: The first Sunday of every month (free admission to all the Civici Musei di Trieste) and 3 November, the patron saint’s day.

Prices in force from 1 January 2026. The ticket office closes half an hour before the museum; tickets can also be bought online.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The route from the bus stop and the car park to the entrance is barrier-free on an even surface; the entrance door is 87 cm wide. The exhibition is on the ground floor and the first floor, connected by stairs with tactile markings and by a lift with Braille buttons and an audible signal (cabin 120×140 cm). Accessible toilet on the ground floor; one reserved parking space near the entrance. Accessibility of content: full for mobility impairment, partial for hearing impairment, none for visual impairment.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Educational programme for schools; visits adaptable to groups of adults and families.

Getting there & parking

The entrance is at via Cumano 22 / via dei Tominz 4.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Café, bookshop and cloakroom.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit