Quaderni, Vol. XXXVII No. 1, 2026.
Original scientific paper
ROVINJ FIRE BRIGADE (1918 – 1945)
Diego Han
; Centro di ricerche storiche – Rovigno
Nikola Medelin
; Vigili del Fuoco - Rovigno
Abstract
The authors of this paper continue their exploration of the history of the Rovinj Fire
Brigade published in issue XXXVI of the journal Quaderni, focusing on the period
between 1919 and 1945. Drawing on the in-depth analysis of mostly archival and
newspaper sources, the paper investigates the political and social circumstances
that characterised the work of the Rovinj unit under the Kingdom of Italy, focusing
on a variety of problems that affected its activity. Alongside the specific technical
aspects of the work of the Fire Brigade, special attention is given to the relationship
between the political authorities and the firefighters in order to assess how much
local and state authorities were able to guarantee the necessary support for the
regular functioning of the Brigade. The analysis adopts a comparative perspective,
with emphasis on the transitional process following the collapse of the Habsburg
Monarchy, thus highlighting that the Habsburg legacy continued to exert an influence,
at least partially, on the functioning of the Brigade, even within the context of the
Kingdom of Italy, thereby contributing to a better understanding of the dynamics of
continuity and transformation in the history of local public services in the twentieth
century.
Keywords
Rovinj-Rovigno, Istria, Fire Brigade, fires, fascism, modernisation, public services
Hrčak ID:
353238
URI
Publication date:
12.11.2026.
Visits: 0 *