Roman History in Croatia (Pula, Croatia)

Not many cities can boast a Roman amphitheatre in the centre of town. Pula is strategically perched at the bottom of the Istrian peninsula in the west of Croatia and is dotted with several monuments from the Roman era. It isn’t difficult to imagine toga-clad men walking the streets and gathering in the main forum in a city whose layout appears unchanged for two millennia.

Several Roman gates all built around 2000 years ago lead to a city with a number of cobbled streets highlighting a rich history of Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Austrian occupation. With their remarkable engineering and architecture it is little wonder that there is more evidence of the Romans than any other, including a temple, mosaics and an old theatre. The oldest Roman city entrance is the elegant Gate of Hercules (with surrounding town walls built later) with the badly eroded carving of Hercules and his club at the top of the arch and the names of the two Roman officials (one was the brother of Cassius who killed Julius Caesar) who led the building of the city.

The main square was once the Roman Forum and boasts the harmonious columned Temple of Romae and Augustus. Around 2000 years old, I wonder how many of today’s building will be viewed in the same majesty 2000 years from now. Mind you, this one didn’t survive a bomb late in World War II and was carefully recreated after the war.

However the undoubted highlight of Pula is the Arena, a large Roman amphitheatre that held over 25000 spectators in its day and continues to see concerts and performances today though only with audiences of 5000 (varying from Pavarotti to Elton John). Engagingly lit at night and the same age as its famous cousin in central Rome, it was sadly denuded internally over the centuries (the seats and some of the underground areas) to supply building material for other projects by the Venetians (including the four-pointed star shaped castle which provides the best external view of the Arena and now hosts the Istrian History Museum). At one point, the Venetians considered dismantling the whole amphitheatre and re-erecting it in Venice, but Pula eventually got to maintain its treasured attraction.

The Arenadesign is impressive with the stadium being three levels on the side facing the sea and two levels on the other side to account for a marked incline in the land.

The underground areas have been replaced but with a fairly thoughtless and careless cement and concrete approach. However, it does give a good sense as to the complex arrangement of managing the various wild animals, sets and gladiators that provided entertainment for a lusting audience.

In the spirit of remarkable engineering, structures at the top of the 30 metre well-preserved walls of the amphitheatre show that the complex could be fitted with awnings for hot or wet weather and the towers contained water tanks to provide fountains during the shows (the Romans think of everything!!).

Croatian pride in their Roman treasure includes featuring it on the ten Kuna note (around US$2) though the mint uses artist’s discretion to remove the various scaffolds and repair areas that mar photographers’ efforts!!http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Pula provides an excellent day wandering the Roman monuments that dot the city and provides an excellent base for exploring the Istrian hill towns, including such travel wonders as Matovun, Buzet, Labin and Hum (the smallest city in the world). Make sure that you grab a copy of the Arena audio tour to discover the innovative building and design methods used in constructing this superb entertainment centre of over two thousand years of age.