MUSICAL SUGGESTIONS

7 - Statue of Charles VI

In 1719 Emperor Charles VI of Habsburg established the Free Port in Trieste, transforming a small town into the main port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nine years later the Emperor arrived in the city, and the grateful administration decided to dedicate a monument to him in the largest square in the city. To be able to do this quickly, the first statue was made of gilded wood, until in 1754 it was replaced by the current one stone and is the work of the Venetian sculptor Lorenzo Fanoli. From the top of his column Charles VI indicates the sea, from which the fortune of the city he is looking at is derived.

Charles VI was the son of Leopold I, whose statue stands out in the Piazza della Borsa, and was the father of Empress Maria Teresa, the beloved sovereign who redesigned the city’s layout. In 1723 Charles VI was crowned King of Bohemia with solemn celebrations in Prague. Giuseppe Tartini was one of the artists summoned to play for this event.

Info: www.turismofvg.it/Trieste