Triest – Trieste

From 1382, Triest was part of the Habsburg Empire, the center of the Coastal Province. The city was the Monarchy’s most important seaport for civilian traffic and a competitor to Venice. An important aspect of the port of Trieste was the role it played in emigration to the USA. Usually, ships carrying emigrants to the New World departed from this port in the early 1900s. During this period, the development of the city was at its peak and much of the overseas trade was conducted in the harbor.   Int he same period a row of palaces in the district next to the old port was built, which can also be seen on the beautiful badge of the 97th Infantry Regiment. Another striking motif of the badge is the sailboat just sailing into the port, which can also be seen on the contemporary postcard chosen for comparison. The small ship with a Latin sail was a typical means of transport on the Adriatic. The KuK IR 97 had its recruiting area here at the Seaside. The regiment was the house regiment of the city.

One third of the inhabitants of Triest was Italian, the rest was German and Slovenian. One major goal of the Italian entry into the Great War was to get access to the city. This actually happened after the war.