The Civic Theater Museum was founded in December 1924 via the willinglness of the music publisher, music dealer and collector Carlo Schmidl (Trieste 7 October 1859 – 7 October 1943), who established an agreement with the Municipality of Trieste to make his historical-musical collection publically available. The museum of Palazzo Gopcevic documents the life of theater and music in Trieste from the eighteenth century to the present day through posters, playbills, photographs, prints, medals, paintings, musical instruments, objects, archive funds and autograph manuscripts. Particular mention is made of the personal archive of Giorgio Strehler, the collection of European and non-European musical instruments which led to the faithful reconstruction of the laboratory of the Trieste luthier Francesco Zapelli, and the costumes belonging to the great Trieste mezzo-soprano Fedora Barbieri.