The Major Hospital of Trieste is an imposing hospital complex built between 1833 and 1841 at the behest of the Habsburg government and the Municipality of Trieste, to replace the previous hospital structures.
Origins and Influence
The original project, developed by the architect Antonio Juris and subsequently modified by Domenico Corti, fits into the groove of the health reform promoted by Emperor Giuseppe II, known for his impetus to public health. The structure, in neoclassical style, reflects the influence of the Allgemeines Krankenhaus in Vienna and, more distantly, of the ancient Asklepeion of Pergamum, thus recalling a historical and monumental medical tradition.
Architecture and Functionality
The building develops over five levels (basement, ground floor, first floor, second floor and attic) and has a quadrilateral plan with sides of 190 meters by 152 meters. In the center opens a large garden of 12,000 square meters, a functional element of great hygienic-sanitary value for the time.
Initially, the hospital had 1082 beds, distributed in 70 wards, with:
- wide corridors
- high ceilings
- several internal staircases
demonstrating attention to hospital functionality and reception capacity, also in relation to the strong demographic increase in Trieste in the mid-nineteenth century.
Habsburg Period
Durante il periodo asburgico, the establishment represented an advanced model of public hospital and welcomed patients from all the provinces of the Austrian Littoral. With the inauguration in 1841, the old Ospedale di San Giusto was transformed into an asylum, while the Major Hospital remained the main center for general care, also including a psychiatric division until 1924.
Evolution in the Post-War Period and the Twentieth Century
In the primo dopoguerra and under Italian administration, the hospital passed from municipal to provincial management, while in 1931 the Fondazione Ospedali Riuniti di Trieste was established, which also managed the Ospedale Regina Elena and that of Santa Maria Maddalena. This transformation marked greater centralization and health organization in the city.
During the course of the twentieth century, the Major Hospital underwent expansions and modernizations, while keeping its historical structure and public function intact. From 1968, with regional law 132, it became part of the Ente Ospedaliero Generale Regionale. Currently, it continues to be a health reference point in the city center, alongside the more recent hospital complex of Cattinara.
Role in the Psychiatric Field
In the psychiatric field, the hospital had a central role until the 1980s, with the definitive closure of the asylum in 1980 and the start of important reforms desired by Franco Basaglia, which led to the closure of traditional psychiatric care institutions and their transformation into modern mental health structures.
La storia dell'Ospedale Maggiore riflette così l'evoluzione sociale, culturale e sanitaria di Trieste, da città asburgica a moderna metropoli italiana.