Pula or Pola (in Slovenian, Pulj) is the largest city on the Istrian peninsula at the southern tip, northwest of Croatia. Its population amounts to 59,080 inhabitants (2005), who are mostly Croats, constituting 71.65% of the population (2001 census). Due to its situation, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy. Like the rest of the area, it is known for its moderate climate, calm sea and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition in tourism, wine production, fishing derivatives and shipbuilding, Pula-Pola has also been the administrative center of Istria since Ancient Rome. Pula located on the very south tip of Istra peninsula contains some of the best preserved Roman structures harmoniously included in the narrow streets.
Castle and Historical Museum of Istria
Temple of Augustus
Temple of Augustus was built in Pula in the 1st century AD. It was dedicated to Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus who was honored as god during his own lifetime. All loyal subjects were supposed to worship official gods of the Roman Empire and "god" Augustus was no exception to this rule. Its simple and elegant design combined with great durability makes Temple of Augustus one of the most important buildings in Pula. During rule of the Venetian Republic former pagan temple was turned into a Christian Church. In the mid- nineteenth century it was turned into a grain storage and today it is turned into a museum of ancient Roman art. Temple of Augustus contain fragments of several Roman sculptures including a statue of Emperor Augustus himself that stands in the middle of the sanctuary.
History
The temple stood on the remains of the podium of an
earlier sanctuary built between 42 BC and 16 BC, when the Roman Empire
was booming and the city of Pietas Iulia was still outside its borders
and thus possessed the status of a colony. The construction is part of
the great plan wanted by Emperor Octavian to renew the urban planning of
most of the cities then subject to Rome, in order to celebrate the new
imperial institution, which had replaced a republic that lasted almost
five centuries. Built between 2 BC. and in 14 AD, the temple was
dedicated to the emperor himself.
The place of worship was also
dedicated to the goddess Rome, since Augustus was reluctant to build
buildings in her name that were not also dedicated to the figure of the
deified Empire, so that the transition to the new form of government did
not seem too abrupt and radical.
The temple was closed at the end
of the IV century, when Christianity became the State religion, and
pagan cults were suppressed. Like many other similar buildings
(including the Pantheon, the Maison Carree and the two small temples of
the Forum Boario) it owes its preservation to the transformation into a
church dedicated to Mary during the eighth century, when Istria was
annexed by the Byzantines. In theVI VI century one of the sides of the
cell was damaged by fire. The damage was repaired only in the third
century by the Venetians, who had conquered the coasts of Istria and
Dalmatia. Several buildings arose around the temple, which was
incorporated into a larger complex. The pronaos became a loggia, while
the interior was transformed into a granary. In the third century it was
transformed into a stable, but with the rediscovery of classical art the
scholar Scipione Maffei proposed to transport the temple to Venice, as
an excellent example of architecture, along with the Roman amphitheater
of the same city, but the idea was not carried out due to the high cost
of the operation.
Between 1920 and 1925 the structures that had
settled around the building were demolished. The latter was restored in
the same years and brought back to its original forms by the architect
Alessandro Rimini on behalf of the Superintendence of Trieste. During
the Second World War, on March 3, 1944, the temple suffered damage due
to an allied bombing on the city of Pula, which was occupied by Nazi
forces. The restoration lasted until 1947 and was overseen by the
Superintendence of Fine Arts of Trieste, since the city was still
Italian (it would be until February, when the Treaty of Paris was
signed). This allowed the structure to reach in good condition to the
present day.
The interior of the building houses a small museum
of Roman tombstones and sculptures found during the archaeological
excavations of the colony of Pietas Iulia, established in 1806 by the
French general Marmot, governor of the Illyrian Provinces, during the
Napoleonic conquests. Some traces of frescoes are still visible on the
walls of the cell.
A twin temple was built in the same area, but
already in the secolo The back of the temple is still visible outside
the palace.
Feature
The temple measures 8.05 meters in width,
17.5 meters in depth and 12 meters in height and rests on a high podium.
A staircase consisting of seven steps joins the level of the pavement
with that of the pronaos.
The temple is tetrastyle prostyle, that
is, with four columns on the main front, and two positioned laterally,
for a total of six columns. The order is Corinthian, despite the
atypical choice of using smooth stem columns instead of fluted ones (as
in the Pantheon). The cell has fluted pillars at the four corners, while
the entrance to the temple is decorated with pilasters. The material
used for the construction of the building is white marble. The temple
had no decorated pediments, but only a dedication written in bronze
characters on the lintel, which read "Romae et Augusto Caesari Divi F.
Patri Patriae"[1].
Overall, the building appears slender and
elegant, with a strong contrast between protruding and falling parts,
especially at the level of the pronaos, where there is a great contrast
between lights and shadows. The structure was studied by Andrea Palladio
in the third century.
Monastery and Church of Saint Francis
Archaeological Museum of Istria
Kandlerov Street
Kandlerov Street or Kandlerova Street is a popular tourist destination that runs through the center of the historic Pula. It begins at the Forum and ends with a beautiful park, which is dedicated to King Peter Krashemira. This quiet street goes through Triumphal Arch, Arena, Hercules Gate and many more buildings. You can start at the ancient Roman amphitheater and take a short walk through the historic part of Pula. Most of main sights in the city are lovated in its close vicinity. Although it can be quiet busy at the evenings due to large number of local residents and international tourists who love this area. Additionally there are a lot of restaurants and cafes along its length.
Gate of Hercules Herkulova vrata
Twin Gate aka Double Gate aka Porta Gemini (Dvojna vrata)
Pula Cathedral (Pula Katedrala)
Church and Monastery of Saint Anthony of PaduaMuseum of Contemporary Art of Istria
Ulica Svetog Ivana 3
Tel. +385 052 423 205
Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria was founded in 2008. It hold a collection of contemporary art that spans the whole post WWII period. It is located in the former printing office in the Pula Harbour. Museum exposition is divided into four parts including international art, Croatian art, design and multimedia art (movies, video, photo) from the early 20th century till our days. Despite its recent history Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria already has a large collection that continues to grow. Additionally museum holds interesting activities including exhibitions from other museum, presentations, educational programs and others.
Human remains, dated back to one million years before Christ, were
found in the Šandalja cave near Pula. Pottery from the Neolithic period
(6000 - 2000. BC), indicating Human Settlements, was found in the
vicinity of Pula.
The earliest record of permanent settlement in
the areas of the city of Pula comes from 10 century BC. The first
settlement was founded by the Illyrian tribe Histra, an ancient people
who lived in Istria.
The city was known to Greek travelers and
sailors, as its founding is associated with the Colchians. Pula is
mentioned in the mythological story of Jason and Medea, who kidnapped
the Golden Fleece. The Colchians pursued Jason and reached the northern
Adriatic. Since they failed to capture Jason and return the Golden
Fleece, they were not allowed to return home, so they erected a
settlement on the nearby Coast where the Illyrian tribe lived. They
named it Polai which means "City of fugitives". The presence of Greek
culture is evidenced by the finding of Greek pottery and part of the
Statue of Apollo.
The Romans occupied the Istrian peninsula in 177 BC, beginning the
process of Romanization. The city was elevated to the colonial level
between 46. - 45 BC During this period, the city flourished, peaking at
about 30,000 inhabitants. It became a significant Roman port with a
large surrounding area under its administration. After the civil war, 42
BC between the triumvirs Octavian, Antony and Lepidus on the one hand
and Caesar's assassins Brutus and Cassius on the other, Pula sided with
Cassius because the city was founded by Cassius Longinus, Cassius '
brother. After Octavian's victory at Actium 31 BC the city is devastated
and devastated. However, the city was soon rebuilt at the request of
Octavian's daughter Julia, and was named Colonia Pietas Iulia Pola
Pollentia Herculanea. Large classical buildings were erected, several of
which survive to this day. The Romans also built a water and sewer
system in the city. They fortified the city with a rampart with ten
gates, some of which are still preserved: the Arch of the Sergians, the
gate of Hercules (in which the names of the founders of the city are
carved) and the double gate. During the reign of Emperor Septimius
Severus the name of the city was changed to "Res Publica Polensis".
In the year 425. the city became the seat of the bishop, as
evidenced by the remains of the foundations of several religious
buildings.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the city and the region
were devastated by the Ostrogoths. Their rule ended after 60 years, when
Pula came under the Exarchate of Ravenna (540. – 751.). During this
period Pula developed and became the main port of the Byzantine navy.
The cathedral and Church of STS. Mary Formosa dates from this period.
The first arrival of Croats in the vicinity of the city is recorded
at 7. century. The history of the city continues to reflect its location
and importance, as well as the entire region, in redrawing the borders
among European powers.
Of 788. furthermore, Pula is ruled by the
Frankish kingdom under Charlemagne. Pula became the seat of the
electoral counties of Istria until 1077.the Venetians took over the city
in 1148., a 1150. Pula swore allegiance to The Venetian Republic, thus
becoming a Venetian possession. Centuries later, the luck and fate of
the city remained closely linked to the Venetian power. In 1192. it was
conquered by the Pižani, but the Venetians soon returned it to their
administration.
In 1238. Pope Gregory IX. he created an alliance
between Genoa and Venice against the Empire, and soon against Pisa.
Since Pula sided with Pisa, the city was sacked by the Venetians in
1243. It was again devastated in 1267. te 1397. When the Genoese
defeated the Venetians in a naval battle. Pula is already at 13. the
century had its own written statute.
After that, a slow decline
began in Pula. This decline was accelerated by the conflicts of local
families: the ancient Sergian family with the Ionotasi family (1258). –
1271.) and Venice's conflict with Genoa over control of the city and its
port (late 13. - 14. century).
Italian poet Dante Alighieri
mentions Pula in His Divine Comedy: come a Pola, presso del Carnaro
ch'italia chiude e and suoi termini bagna or in Croatian translation and
ko što are [grave rakes] near Pula, near žal, where the Kvarner among
Italy washes (hell IX, 113-114). Istrian divorce (1325) originated from
the same period. It is an important Croatian document written in Latin,
German and Croatian, written in the oldest Croatian script, the
Glagolitic Alphabet.
The Venetians captured Pula in 1331. and they ruled it until 1797.
year. During the 14., 15. and 16. for centuries Pula was attacked and
conquered by Genoese, Croatian-Hungarian army, Habsburg Army. This also
led to the demise of numerous small medieval settlements and villages.
In addition to the war conquests, the Pula and Istrian population was
decimated by large epidemics of plague, malaria, typhus, smallpox. By
the 1750s, the city had only 300 inhabitants.
After the fall of
The Venetian Republic in 1797., when the Venetians were defeated by
Napoleon, the city became part of the Habsburg Monarchy. In 1805. the
city was broken into by the French after defeating the Austrians. The
city was incorporated into the French puppet Kingdom of Italy and then
placed under the direct control of the Illyrian Provinces of the French
Empire.
In 1813. Pula and Istria were returned to the administration of the
Austrian Empire (later the Austro-Hungarian monarchy), and became part
of the Crown Lands of the Austrian littoral. During this period, Pula
regained its prosperity. Since 1859. Pula's huge natural port became the
main and most fortified Austrian war port and the main shipbuilding
center. The city has undergone a transformation from a small town with
faded antique splendor to an industrial city. The island of Losinj
(Lussino) located south of Pula became the summer residence of the
Austrian imperial family Habsburg. 1900. in 1901, the first car was
driven on the streets of Pula. the first electric car.[8]
From
the beginning of the First World War it was one of the primary
objectives of the Italian navy. The Austro-Hungarian command decided to
fight with a deterrent fleet and avoid battles at sea. The Italians
tried several times to sneak into the port and sink a ship, but failed,
because the port was well monitored and various sea obstacles were
placed. After the upheaval of war fortunes in 1918., it was increasingly
certain that Austria-Hungary would collapse and one or more new Slavic
states would arise. To avoid the surrender of the Navy to the Entente
powers, Emperor Charles I. he decided to hand over his own navy to a
state that had already declared itself neutral, the state of SHS. He
hoped that the new kingdom would join a new Federation of states which
he would rule.
This was followed by an unnecessarily egotistical
Italian military action that had no military, strategic or diplomatic
effect. The end of the war was certain, as was the exhaustion of both
sides for the continuation of the war, and the wartime enemy
Austria-Hungary disappeared. During the declared armistice 1. November
1918. two Italian Royal Navy lieutenants raided the anchored fleet. The
former Imperial Navy admiral SMS Viribus Unitis, now under the Croatian
flag, was sunk. The result was about 300 casualties and missing. The
crew members, Croatian, Czech and Slovenian sailors, who were on board
awaiting the end of the war, were killed. That night in the port of
Pula, they celebrated on lighted ships (after a ceasefire was
announced), not anticipating the black fate.
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. Pula and the whole of Istria were handed over to Italy under the peace treaty. This period was marked by economic and political unrest. Under the fascist government of Benito Mussolini, netalians, especially Croats, were subjected to enormous political and cultural repression, were imprisoned in camps, plundered and Italianized, and many fled the city and Istria. Italian rule lasted until its capitulation during World War II in September 1943. The German army soon filled the vacuum created by the withdrawal of Italian soldiers. During the German administration Pula experienced the worst period up to that time: arrests, deportations and executions of people suspected of aiding the partisan struggle. Also, the Allied strategic bombing in succession destroyed entire parts of the city.
After release 5. May 1945., which is celebrated today as the day of
the city of Pula, the city was captured by partisan forces who had
previously liberated the whole of Istria and United it with the
motherland of Croatia. Shortly after the liberation from Fascist Italy
and coming under Croatian rule, the government of the DF Yugoslavia and
the governments of Great Britain and the United States signed in
Belgrade on the 9th. You. 1945. agreement dividing the territories of
Julian Venice into Zone A and Zone B. Pula with its immediate
surroundings was in Zone a, west of the Morgan line. The JNA withdrew
from Pula, Trieste and other parts of zone A to do 12. You. 1945.
Commander of Allied forces in the Mediterranean Field Marshal Harold
Alexander declared in a proclamation that the allied military
administration was back in the zone and introduced Italian legislation
and administration according to the situation before 9. IX. 1943. A few
years after 1945. The pool was run by the United Nations. Istria is
divided into occupation zones, Zone A and Zone B. The territorial
division was resolved at the Paris Peace Conference. Croatian Catholic
priests played a major role in the conference. Among them he is best
known for his role was Monsignor Božo Milanović, one of the
representatives of Istria at the peace conference in Paris in 1946. to
decide the fate of Istria after the war. Data collected by mons.
Milanović, Zvonimir Brumnić and other Croatian priests were one of the
main arguments why Istria as part of Croatia entered Yugoslavia. The
main document that was dealt with in Paris was the monument of the
Croatian clergy in Istria to the Allied Commission for delimitation of
the Julijska Krajina adopted in Pazin on the 12th. February 1946. year.
The memorial was brought by the choir of priests of St. It was signed by
President Tomo Banko, Secretary Miro Bulešić, councilors Božo Milanović,
Leopold Jurca, Josip Pavlišić, Antun Cukarić and Srećko Štifanić, as
well as 48 board members. The monuments show all the horrors endured by
the Italians, especially by priests since 1918. by 1943. years, but
Istria still remained inhabited by the vast majority of Croats, and
therefore should forever belong only to Croatia.
Until then, most
of this territory was under the provisional Body Free territory of
Trieste, in which the provisional administration was accepted by the UN
Security Council, but the Civil Administration with the governor did not
come into existence. Pula was under Allied control until it was
officially united with the rest of Croatia within communist Yugoslavia
on the 15th. September 1947. year.
After the signing of the peace
treaty with the Allies 10. February 1947. Most of Istria was taken over
by Yugoslavia and the borders were largely drawn on ethnic grounds. Most
of those who did not leave after the fall of Italy did so then. Between
December 1946. and September 1947. the city was abandoned by the
majority of the Italian population (Istrian exodus) and a lot of the
Croatian population. Between 1947. and 1953. Italian Cultural Heritage,
which mainly appeared after I.svj. war (i.e. after the fall of the
Austro-Hungarian monarchy), (inscriptions, symbols, etc.) it was
completely removed from the pula monuments. The fascists fled long
before, some Italians and Italian Croats were driven away, some Croats
and Italians left in fear of conflict and fear of persecution, fearing
Communist persecutions and stories coming from the rest of Croatia,
others spontaneously opted for the solution offered. A lot of people
have left.
Day 18. August 1946. a terrible explosion occurred in
Pula on Vergarola, killing 116 people.
In 1946. C. Schiffer
records that Pula has 87,787 inhabitants (54,074 (64%) Italians, 27,102
(32%) Croats and 771 Slovenes). In 1931. Pula had 41,439 inhabitants,
and in 1948. only 19,595 people lived there.
Allied pressure on
Yugoslavia was growing. The governments of the United States, the United
Kingdom and France proposed the Tripartite declaration 20. March 1948.
handing over the entire STT to the Italian administration, to which
Yugoslavia protested at the UN. The Informbiro resolution and the Tito -
Stalin conflict made the situation more difficult. Italy wanted to
outflank Yugoslavia and claim most of the STT, offering it a smaller
part of zone B. Italy in 1952. refused the Yugoslav condominium
proposal. Pula was located in Zone A, and 8. X. 1953. The United States
and the United Kingdom announced that they would withdraw their forces
and Zone A to Italy. Yugoslavia reacted violently and sent large
military forces to the border, and Italy did the same and the so-called
Trieste crisis broke out. The situation was resolved by negotiations
that had been ongoing since February 1954. A ended with a London
memorandum abolishing the STT, dividing it, and Yugoslavia getting the
whole Zone B and part of Zone A with Pula. Finally, the Croatian name of
the city, Pula, became official (the name Pulj is original, hence the
adjective Pula, which is found in literature, publicists and scientific
works). With the final division of Zone A and Zone B, Pula became part
of the people's Republic of Croatia, with which it has since shared its
fate.
After the London memorandum in 1954., Pula is definitely in Croatia.
The city has a rich (sub)cultural history that can be traced back to the
Fifties of the twentieth century. 1977. the punk phenomenon marks a
turning point. It slowly spread from Britain, without the influence of
communication technologies as we know it today, with the relative
neglect (or quiet disgust) of the media, especially the Yugoslav
socialist ones. The following year, the first punk group was founded in
Pula - Problemi.
In Pula, the Uljanik club was a real institution
of youth subculture for decades. The exception was the period between
1975. and 1992. kada functioned as a classic disco club where rock
concerts were occasionally held. In the independent Croatia he
experienced a boom. In the nineties it became the only scene of
"alternative" expression in Pula, and in the Croatian part of Istria,
even when Rijeka's Palach slowly faltered.
On the orders of Admiral Letica, commander of HRM 21. October 1991.
the war port of Pula was established, the first commander was the
captain of the battleship Ante Budimir, now a retired Rear Admiral; at
the end of the same year, with the reorganization of the HV and HRM rl
Pula, the Naval Command for the northern Adriatic Pula was reorganized.
On the occasion of the celebration of Victory Day and Homeland
Thanksgiving, Pula has been held every year since 2013. on Homeland
Thanksgiving Day and Croatian defenders Day, 5. in August, he held a
March of Croatian defenders of Istria county, organized by the
Coordination of associations arising from the Homeland War and the city
of Pula and Istria County. The parade program begins at 8 a.m. with a
mass in the Cathedral, continues by paying tribute to the Croatian
defenders by laying wreaths at the central Cross of the city cemetery
and the monument to the fallen Croatian defenders in the Homeland war in
Franjo Josip Park and a minute of silence honors all the fallen
defenders.
The march begins with the announcement of ship and
factory Sirens, after which church bells are sounded, and members of the
Society of speleologists from the Pula Arena lower the ten-meter
Croatian flag. The march goes further along the Waterfront, St. John
Street, Carrara Street, and Giardini and Laginja Street to the Croatian
defenders ' home (entrance opposite the theatre). It is accompanied by
The Brass Band of the city of Pula and majorette, and with the help of
police officers and the participation of representatives of the local
self-government and the public Fire Department of Pula and the Ministry
of Defence. Ultramarathon Ivan Jagustin runs a mini marathon for the
March, an exhibition of war and peace photographs is held in the
Croatian defenders ' home and a music program performed by
schoolchildren. At the end is a party for all participants. Citizens
were invited to hang flags on their windows on that day. Suitable
T-shirts with knitter are printed for the participants of the March. The
parade is held regardless of the rain. In addition to the members of 17
defense associations from all over Istria, the contribution to the march
was made by the pula football first league NK Istra 1961, whose
representatives together with the representatives of the Demoni fan
club. The first procession gathered about 500 participants, the second
700, and on the third more than a thousand participants.
The city had about 1,100 inhabitants in 1851, about 25,000 in 1880
and almost 39,000 in 1890, including 5,900 military personnel. According
to the Imperial and Royal census of 1900, 40,641 people lived in Pula,
including the garrison, of which 24,056 were Italians (59%), 10,388
Croats (26%), 4,654 Germans (11%) and 1,543 Slovenes (4%).
According to the 2011 census, Croats are the overwhelming majority of
the population, accounting for 70.14% of the population. 29.86% belong
to other ethnic groups, of which the Serbs with 6.01% and the Italians
with 4.43% are the two largest in Pula. In addition, Slovenes, Bosniaks,
Albanians, Hungarians, Germans, Sinti and Roma live in Pula. The Jewish
community today has 30 to 50 members.
The city of Pula is
officially bilingual. In addition to Croatian, Italian is considered the
second official language. The Istriotic language is spoken in the
hinterland, the oldest language in Istria.
After many Orthodox Serbs have left Pula, the religious majority
undoubtedly belongs to the Catholic inhabitants of Pula, whereas the
Orthodox believers form the second strongest grouping. Protestants and
Muslims represent each other by single-digit percentages. The Byzantine
Chapel of Saint Mara Formosa (Kapelica sv. Marije Formose) was built in
the 6th century. A basilica of the same name, added at that time, was
destroyed in the 16th century. The architectural design of the chapel is
based on the image of a Greek cross and shows parallels with churches in
Ravenna.
Church of St. Francis with Franciscan Monastery
(Samostan i crkva sv. Franje). The single-nave, late Romanesque church
dates back to a construction in the 13th century; a mention can be found
in 1314. The Franciscan monastery was founded in the 14th century and
shows Roman influence in the cloister at some points in the art
decoration. The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
(Katedrala Uznesenja Blažene Djevice Marije) was built from the 6th
century, with the remains of walls of earlier church buildings found.
The expansion continued until the 10th century. However, serious
destruction and devastation occurred later, which were attributed to the
Genoese and, as a result, to the Venetians. Extensive reconstruction
then took place in the 15th century. By adding a facade in the style of
the late Renaissance in the 16th century, the cathedral got its present
appearance. From 1671 a free-standing bell tower was built in front of
the church.
The Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas (Pravoslavna
crkva sv. Nikole) also dates back to the 6th century. It has a polygonal
apse and was further expanded in the 10th century. The church has
several icons from the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as an
iconostasis from the 18th century.