"Nature Frames"

The science cabinet of the Imperial-Royal High School in Koper was first mentioned in the yearbook 1857-58. Since then, several custodians have been involved in its management, the first being prof. Edoardo Visintini, followed by prof. Oreste Gerosa (1877), naturalist dr. Vittorio Largaiolli (1907) and finally prof. Rodolfo Cerquenih (1921).

The most complete collections that have survived to this day and are exhibited in school showcases include minerals and stones, snails and shells, herbariums and algariums, among which is the Flora marina justinopolitana algae collection created by Antonio Zaratin. To all this must be added a number of birds, fish, reptiles, mammals and amphibians, stuffed or stored in glass jars, as well as various wall panels and disassembled models, for a total of about 2,000 specimens.

Natural science cabinets often consisted of one or more rooms with a large table in the middle, on which samples were prepared or observed under a microscope. The collections included stuffed animals or animals preserved in liquids, fossilized fossils, herbariums, dried specimens, and more.

The animals were purchased from appropriate companies or specialized preparators. The taxidermist treated the animal’s skin with arsenic compounds to prevent its decay due to the formation of mold or bacteria. He then stretched the skin on an animal model made of iron wire and filled it with straw, sawdust and cork.

Smaller animals (and some plants) could also be stored in glass jars. To this end, the organs or parts of them were immersed in a liquid containing an increasing proportion of alcohol or formalin, so that these substances could slowly replace the water present in the tissues and allow the preservation of tissues and internal organs.

To prepare the herbarium, they spread the plant on paper, preferably gallon-treated from old books, taking care not to overlap parts of the plant. The page with the plant was placed among the other, completely dry pages, and all compressed with a press or weight, but not too hard, as otherwise the plant organs would stick together, making it impossible to identify the specimen. Wet paper had to be replaced with dry paper every day. In order to keep the colors alive, it was essential that the plants dried very quickly, sometimes placing them in still warm ovens. Finally, the pages were stored in well-sealed boxes to prevent insects from settling in them.

The science cabinet of the Imperial-Royal High School in Koper was taken care of by science professors. One of his most important custodians was prof. Oreste Gerosa, who came to Koper in 1877 from Rovereto in Trentino. In Koper, he was received by a very lively city, full of merchants and craftsmen, with a flourishing agricultural hinterland. He settled with his family in Gian Rinaldo Carli Street (today Župančičeva Street), in the building known today as Palazzo Gerosa. He is responsible for the extremely accurate cataloging of various specimens in the cabinet.

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