Exhibition: The Archive and the Square – The Archive of the Koper commune and the centre of Koper in the Middle Ages

The exhibition, with documents from the archive of the former Koper commune, which are now held in the Venice State Archives, and the documents from the Koper Diocesan Archives, presents the present Tito Square and the events that took place there in two periods of time, around 1400 and around 1500. The oldest documents from the archives of the former Koper commune, together with the medieval documents from the Koper Diocesan Archives, give us an insight into the urban structure and image of Koper from the 13th century onwards. The documents from the late 15th century onwards provide detailed information on the construction work on public buildings, including the complex of the Praetorian Palace. An analysis of the data from the oldest documents shows that the central square of Koper was a large and lively public market place in the late Middle Ages. It was named Plathea communis (Public Square),  as the other central squares of this kind in other medieval towns. In the late 15th century, this space was appropriated by the authorities, at which time its shape and appearance were changed.