Pula is famous for its ancient Roman buildings: the Temple of Augustus, the Arch of the Sergii, and, most famously, the Pula Arena, one of the best preserved ancient Roman amphitheaters. These structures are truly remarkable. But, in the spirit of this blog, I mention them only briefly, because even without them there is a lot to see in the largest town of Istria. So, instead, we will learn about Venetian, Habsburg, and Italian rule, and trace the impressions they left on Pula’s streets.

The walking tour

We start at the Gate of Hercules, a Roman relic from the 1st century. Across the street, the imposing Palace of the Bank of Italy reminds us of the time when Pula was ruled from Rome, but much later, in the 20th century. When the Gate of Hercules was erected, Pula was a Roman colony. The Palace of the Bank of Italy, on the other hand, was finished in 1940, at the end of the Italian after the First World War. The building is an example of Rationalism, the architectural style developed during the Fascist rule in Italy.

The next Roman structure on our away, the Twin Gate, is also not far away from the artifacts of the modern time. On the wall of the neigbouring building, known as Narodni Dom, there is a memorial plaque dedicated to an event that marked the beginning of the violent oppression of Croatians under Mussolini’s rule. This building, which was home to the first Croatian public library of Pula at the time, was burned down by the fascists. About 7,000 books were destroyed.¹

On the opposite side from the Twin Gate you can see the foundation of a Roman mausoleum. The Twin Gate leads to the small Roman theater, hidden behind the Archaeological Museum of Istria. On the hill behind there is Fortress Kaštel built by the Venetians, which we will see later in the evening. You can visit the theater now, if you’d like, or in evening after the fortress: one of the paths down from the hill ends here.

We continue descending into the center of the town along Carrarina street and turn into Kandlerova street.

In 2014 the city started to lease out the buildings on Kandlerova street to art galleries and workshops for free, hoping to breath life into this corner of the old town. One piece of art that is definitely worth seeing is outside, at the beginning of the street: it’s a graffiti depicting Herman Potočnik (pseudonym Herman Noordung), a rocket engineer and a visionary of life in space born in Pula. Standing in front of the graffiti, you find yourself among the remains of the quarter of Saint Theodor, once a part of the Roman colony, excavated from 2005 to 2009.

Continuing on Kandlerova, we come to the Pula Cathedral. As we approach it from behind, we first see the oldest parts of the structure, which originally belonged to a Christian church built in the 5th century and were extended in the 18th century, when the Cathedral acquired its present form. But even the more recent part is to some extent antique: the bell tower was built with stones taken from the Arena.

At Kandlerova 8, there is Palazzo Demartini, a relic of the Venetian rule of Pula from the 17th century. Well, sort of. The Venetians only built a one-story house: the rest was added in the 19th century, in the Venetian Gothic style.

Here we find ourselves not far from the heart of the Roman colony. After the next intersection, you can turn left: then you will arrive at the spectacular Forum Square, where you will find the famous Temple of Augustus. Make sure to pass behind the Communal Palace that stands next to it: you will see the remains of another Roman temple, Temple of Diana, on top of which the Communal Palace was erected.

Afterwards, we continue straight along Sergijevaca street until the Arch of the Sergii. On our way, however, we don’t want to miss, first, Agrippinas House on our right (house 3), and, secondly, the ancient Roman floor mosaic on our left (house 18).

Sergijevaca street ends with a vista of the Arch of the Sergii, an ancient Roman triumphal arch probably completed in 27 BCE. In the yellow building next to it James Joyce taught English to Austrian naval officers for several months. The citizens of Pula commemorated his short stay with a sculpture of him in the neighboring cafe. James Joyce himself, however, was not so pleased with the town that honored him: he called it “a naval Siberia” ².

We continue straight ahead, now along Flanatička street. At the end of the street you can visit the Pula market. Fruits, vegetables and oils are sold in the outside stalls (with cats smelling around), and fish and meat are sold under the roof, in an impressive structure out of iron and glass that was completed using to the newest methods of the 20th century.

Taking Mletačka street, we come to a market from a very different era. The huge concrete building with “pula” written in a curious modernist (post-modernist?) font is the former department store. Its construction began in 1975. Pula’s locals affectionately remember the large variety of consumer goods that could be bought here, in quality not worse than in Germany. The owners of the building went bankrupt, and no long-term use for it has been found since then. There are plans to convert it into a hotel, but no construction work was going on while we were there³. The ancient mosaic in front it looked equally abandoned. Fortunately, they are only copies, while the originals are in the Archaeological Museum ⁴.

Across the busy street from here, there is Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, founded very recently, in 2006.

Now we will take a few steps back into the direction of the old town. We pass the Home of Croatian Veterans at Dobrilina 4, which was constructed in 1913. It was meant to be a glamorous gathering place for Pula’s elite, but after the First World War Italians made it the seat of their administration, then it became the Home of the Yugoslav National Army, and then was turned into a cinema. Today, it is home to the marine library, the regional broadcasting studio of Croatian Radio-Television and a restaurant. ⁵

We come to the Danteov square. In no other place in Pula does the architecture tell so much about the period of Italian occupation. In the center, there is a fountain designed by Enrico Trolis. In the old postcards the fountain is referred to as Fontana dedicata ai cadutti fascisti, or “Fountain dedicated to the fallen fascists”. The building on the left side is the post office. It used to have geometrically simplified fasces, a symbol of fascism, at the entrance. The architect, Angiolo Mazzoni, was a state architect and an engineer of the Italian Fascist government. The inside of the entrance is beautifully red, with a stunning staircase disappearing into the ceiling. Do go inside to admire it, even if you don’t plan on sending postcards.

Going further into the direction of the port, we pass the remains of the Basilica of Saint Mary Formosa. The Basilica was built in the 6th century, when Pula was under the rule of Ravenna and part of the Byzantine Empire. Pula was the major port of the Byzantine fleet, as it was under the Habsburgs centuries later. But what we see is only a chapel. The Basilica was badly damaged during the Venetian conquest of the city. Building materials were salvaged by the conquerors and sent back to Venice. According to some historians, they were used in the St Mark’s Basilica and the Marciana Library. So if you have been to Venice, you may have already seen some parts of Pula.

Now it’s time to enjoy the harbour. Our next destination is the Venetian fort overlooking the city. It’s an apt time to visit it, as it’s a perfect place to witness the sunset in Pula. Whenever you ready, turn left into the old town and take the streets leading upward. If some strength is left in you, make sure to pass by the Church of Saint Nicholas on Castropola street built in the 6th century an now belonging to the Serbian Orthodox Church.

As mentioned earlier, we visited the small Roman theater on our way home after the sunset. If you intend to do the same, take the path that leads you into the direction of the Arena.

Here our tour ends. Time for bonuses!

Bonus I: the Austro-Hungarian architecture near the railway station

Either on a day of your trip, if you plan to visit other cities by train, or while staying in Pula, make sure to see the magnificent buildings in the area of the railway station.

The magnificent Hotel Riviera (Splitska 1) was once the most popular hotel in Pula that welcomed numerous movie stars and politicians. It was built in 1908 in the Neo-Baroque style with Jugendstil decorations⁶. A lot of money was invested into making Pula the major port of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and the sumptuous look of Hotel Riviera is the evidence.

Next to it on Kolodvorska street you will find a complex of residential buildings called Villas Münz. Also built while Pula was part of the Austria-Hungary, its luxurious spacious apartments were meant for the wealthy urban and military elite. The construction was overseen by Jakob Ludwig Münz, who by that time already completed the city market we visited earlier.⁷

Bonus II: the Stoja bathing area

The Stoja bathing area is the work of the Pula architect Enrico Trolis, who also designed the Fountain on Danteov square that we saw during our city walk. It’s probably the most important example of Modernist architecture in Pula. Unfortunately, this listed monument was in dilapidated condition when we visited, even though the city administration has been promising to rejuvenate it.

Bonus III: Cats

As in Istria in general, in Pula there are many cats enjoying the outdoors!

Footnotes