Museo teatrale Carlo Schmidl

About the museum

The museum was founded in December 1924 thanks to Carlo Schmidl, a music publisher and collector, who donated his historical music collection to the city. From 1924 to 1991 it was housed in the Teatro Verdi; during the theatre’s restoration the collections were moved in 1992 to Palazzo Morpurgo, in via Imbriani. The permanent home is Palazzo Gopcevich, which opened to the public on 16 December 2006.

The palace was built in 1850 to a design by Giovanni Andrea Berlam for the Serbian shipowner Spiridione Gopcevich and faces the Canal Grande, in the Borgo Teresiano; the eclectic façade is decorated with statues and medallions commemorating the Battle of Kosovo of 1389.

The route, spread over two floors, traces the history of theatre and music in Trieste from the 18th century to today: the city’s theatres, the competition for the Verdi monument, rooms devoted to musical life and to opera and drama, orchestral instruments and European and non-European ethnic instruments, the Roberto Starec collection, the workshop of the luthier Francesco Zapelli, marionettes and hand puppets, and on the second floor the first pianos, mechanical instruments and the Giorgio Strehler fonds. Posters, photographs, costumes and documents are complemented by a large library and an archive of international importance.

Highlights

• Collection of musical instruments, from the fortepiano to the autopiano (a mechanical piano)
• Giorgio Strehler fonds with his personal archive and library
• Workshop of the luthier Francesco Zapelli
• Marionettes and hand puppets
• Posters, photographs and costumes from Trieste’s theatre

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso permanente – History of theatre and music in Trieste from the 18th century to today, with musical instruments, posters, costumes, marionettes and the Giorgio Strehler fonds.

Founded

1924

Operated by

Comune di Trieste

Visitors per year

approx. 20,865

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Sunday of the month and on 3 November (feast of the patron saint of Trieste).

Prices in force since 1 January 2025. Tickets can also be bought online. Invoices must be requested at least 15 days before the visit.

Accessibility

• Partially 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 main entrance has a 6 cm step with no ramp; the lift, which has Braille buttons, can be reached by climbing two steps with a ramp. Accessible toilets on the ground floor and the first floor. Some works are displayed on the stair landings and cannot be reached by wheelchair. Two parking spaces for people with disabilities in Via Machiavelli, about 100 m from the entrance.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

The museum has a bar and a bookshop; the cloakroom is unattended.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit