Old Stock Exchange Palace

The Stock Exchange Palace, the construction of which was begun in 1802 based on a design by arch. Antonio Mollari, was inaugurated in 1805.It is one of Trieste's most important buildings of neoclassical architecture. The building resembles a Greek temple, in Doric style, decorated by a grand portico with four large columns and a tower with a bell tower at the top. There are many statues on the facade: in the aediculae on the first floor Asia, Africa, America, and Europe; on the main floor Vulcan and Mercury, all works by Banti and Ferrari. Above the balustrade, on the other hand, by Bosa, Danube, the Genius of Trieste, Minerva and Neptune. In the Great Hall, in the center of the domed ceiling, the scene of the proclamation of the city of Trieste as a Free Port by Charles VI was painted by Giuseppe Bernardino Bison. Also on the floor of the first floor is a splendid sundial, dated 1820, by Friulian Sebastianutti. The palace remained home to the Stock Exchange until 1844, when it was moved to the nearby Tergesteo; since then the building has been home to the Chamber of Commerce.