The Caffè Stella Polare, opened in 1865, is located in Piazza Sant’Antonio, near the Grand Canal, next to the Serbian Orthodox Church of San Spiridione.
At the beginning of 1904 the old building on the Canal was demolished to make way for the present building, which was originally a typical Austro-Hungarian café, with the classic decorations of stucco and mirrors, some of which are still present, and had a cherry wood bar and billiard, meeting and reading rooms. For years the café was a refuge for shopkeepers and intellectuals both from Trieste and abroad; with the end of the Second World War and the arrival of the Anglo-Americans in the city, this café became a famous dance hall.
