by InTrieste
On April 23, 1944, the halls of Palazzo Rittmeyer bore witness to one of the darkest chapters in Trieste’s history. Now home to the Giuseppe Tartini Conservatory, the building was once requisitioned by Nazi troops during the German occupation of the city and converted into the Soldatenheim, or “Soldiers’ Home.”
That spring day, 81 years ago, became the site of a brutal massacre. Fifty-one civilians, both Italian and Slovenian, were hanged inside the grand stairwell of the building, with additional bodies suspended from the façade’s windows—grim warnings to the city’s residents. The event, known as the “Via Ghega Massacre,” remains one of the most haunting wartime atrocities in Trieste.
This Wednesday, April 23, the Conservatory will again mark the anniversary with a solemn ceremony to honor the victims. “We aim to remember those who were barbarically murdered and to promote a culture of peaceful coexistence between neighboring communities,” said Conservatory Director Sandro Torlontano. The commemoration is organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Postojna, Slovenia—home to many of the victims—underscoring the cross-border impact of the tragedy.
The ceremony begins at 9 a.m. outside Palazzo Rittmeyer, where commemorative wreaths will be laid. The mayors of Trieste and Postojna, Roberto Dipiazza and Igor Marentič, are expected to attend, along with local officials, associations, students, and faculty from both the Conservatory and the Postojna School of Music. A musical tribute inside the building’s grand stairwell, the site of the massacre, will follow.
