Palazzo della Luogotenenza Austriaca (Palace of the Austrian Lieutenancy), Trieste

The Palace of the Austrian Lieutenancy (Palazzo della Luogotenenza Austriaca) or Palace of the Prefecture of Trieste is one of the most important palaces dating back to the Habsburg rule in Trieste. The main and monumental entrance is in piazza dell'Unità d'Italia , but the building also overlooks piazza Verdi and via San Carlo. Formerly the headquarters of the Austrian Lieutenancy, today it houses the headquarters of the Prefecture of Trieste.

The palace stands on the site of the old Palazzo Govee, built in 1764 by order of Maria Theresa of Austria , according to the design of Giovanni Fusconi, where the offices of the Imperial Arsenal were located.

Originally the structure consisted of only two floors to which a third was added in 1825 . Demolished in 1899 , the old building gave way to the new building built between 1901 and 1905, on the Artmann.

The building, the last of the monumental undertakings in the square, was so much criticized that already in 1910 it was planned to expand it up to the unfinished demolition project prior to the First World War.

Particular is the facade decorated with mosaics with coats of arms of the House of Savoy made after the First World War, to replace the original mosaics, designed by Giuseppe Straka of Vienna, which had elements of Austrian derivation.