Pula (Latin Colonia Pietas Iulia Pola; Italian Pola (the city has an official Croatian-Italian bilingualism [1]); Istriot Pula, German Polei, Slovenian Pulj) is the largest city in Istria, situated at the southern tip of the peninsula, with a population of 62,080 (2006).
From the 19th century through World War I, Pula was the headquarters of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. From 1918 to 1947 Pola was part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, tame sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism. Pula has also been Istria's administrative center since ancient Roman times.
The city is best known for its many surviving ancient Roman buildings, the most famous of which is its first century amphitheatre, sixth largest in the world and locally known as the Arena. This is one of the best preserved amphitheatres from antiquity and is still in use today during summer film festivals. During the World War II Italian fascist administration, there were attempts to disassemble the arena and move it to mainland Italy, which were quickly abandoned due to the costs involved.
Two other notable and well-preserved ancient Roman structures are the 1st century AD triumphal arch, the Arch of the Sergii and the co-eval temple of Rome and Augustus, built in the 1st century AD by the Roman emperor Augustus.
The city's old quarter of narrow streets, lined with Medieval and Renaissance buildings, are still surfaced with ancient Roman paving stones.
From the 19th century through World War I, Pula was the headquarters of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. From 1918 to 1947 Pola was part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, tame sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism. Pula has also been Istria's administrative center since ancient Roman times.
The city is best known for its many surviving ancient Roman buildings, the most famous of which is its first century amphitheatre, sixth largest in the world and locally known as the Arena. This is one of the best preserved amphitheatres from antiquity and is still in use today during summer film festivals. During the World War II Italian fascist administration, there were attempts to disassemble the arena and move it to mainland Italy, which were quickly abandoned due to the costs involved.
Two other notable and well-preserved ancient Roman structures are the 1st century AD triumphal arch, the Arch of the Sergii and the co-eval temple of Rome and Augustus, built in the 1st century AD by the Roman emperor Augustus.
The city's old quarter of narrow streets, lined with Medieval and Renaissance buildings, are still surfaced with ancient Roman paving stones.
History
The Arena (colosseum) in Pola
The city's earliest recorded permanent habitation dates back to the 10th century BC. It was founded by the Illyrian tribe of the Histri, an ancient people that lived in Istria.
Significant Roman settlement (Colonia Pietas Iulia Pola) began in the first century BC. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city and region were ruled in succession by Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Franks, and the Venetians. The first arrival of the Slavs in the environs of the town dates to the 7th century, but they never really settled the city, which always kept its Italian soul. The history of the city continued to reflect its location and significance, like that of the region, in the redrawing of borders between European powers.
Pola is quoted by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy: "come a Pola, presso del Carnaro ch'Italia chiude e i suoi termini bagna" or "as Pola, along the Quarnero, that marks the end of Italy and bathes its boundaries".
In 1150 Pola swore allegiance to the Republic of Venice, thus becoming a Venetian possession. For centuries thereafter, the city's fate and fortunes were tied to those of Venetian power. During the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, Pola was attacked and occupied by the Genoese, a Croatian-Hungarian army and the Habsburgs; several outlying medieval settlements and towns were destroyed. In addition to war, the plague, malaria and typhoid ravaged the city.
Historical map of the harbour of Pola.
The Arena (colosseum) in Pola
The city's earliest recorded permanent habitation dates back to the 10th century BC. It was founded by the Illyrian tribe of the Histri, an ancient people that lived in Istria.
Significant Roman settlement (Colonia Pietas Iulia Pola) began in the first century BC. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city and region were ruled in succession by Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Franks, and the Venetians. The first arrival of the Slavs in the environs of the town dates to the 7th century, but they never really settled the city, which always kept its Italian soul. The history of the city continued to reflect its location and significance, like that of the region, in the redrawing of borders between European powers.
Pola is quoted by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy: "come a Pola, presso del Carnaro ch'Italia chiude e i suoi termini bagna" or "as Pola, along the Quarnero, that marks the end of Italy and bathes its boundaries".
In 1150 Pola swore allegiance to the Republic of Venice, thus becoming a Venetian possession. For centuries thereafter, the city's fate and fortunes were tied to those of Venetian power. During the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, Pola was attacked and occupied by the Genoese, a Croatian-Hungarian army and the Habsburgs; several outlying medieval settlements and towns were destroyed. In addition to war, the plague, malaria and typhoid ravaged the city.
Historical map of the harbour of Pola.
With the collapse of the Venetian Republic in 1797, the city became part of the Habsburg Monarchy. It was invaded in 1805 and included in the French Empire's puppet Kingdom of Italy in, then placed directly under the French Empire's Illyrian Provinces. In 1813, Pola and Istria were restored to the Austrian Empire (later the Austro-Hungarian Empire), and became part of the Austrian Littoral crown land. During this period, Pola's large natural harbour became Austria's main naval base and a major shipbuilding centre. The island of Lussino (Lošinj) to the south of Pola became the summer vacation resort of Austria's Habsburg royal family.
Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Pola and the whole of Istria were given to Italy under the Peace Treaty. Italian rule lasted until the end of World War II. In this period governed by Benito Mussolini's fascist government non-Italian especially Slavic residents faced huge political and cultural repression and many fled the city and Istria altogether.[citation needed]
For several years after 1945, Pola was administered by the United Nations, whose presence included U.S. military forces. Istria was partitioned into occupation zones until the region became largely united with the rest of Croatia within the Communist Yugoslavia.
When the city was ceded to Yugoslavia, its population was largely made up of ethnic Italians — up to 90 per cent by some accounts, but with the signing of the peace treaty in 1947, most of those who had not already fled after 1945 left. Between December 1946 and September 1947, the city was abandoned by most of its Italian residents (istrian exodus).
On August 18, 1946 it was the site of the Vergarolla explosion.
In 1931 Pola had 41,439 residents, and in 1948 there were only 19,595 residents.
Subsequently, the city's Croatian name of Pula became official. Since the collapse of Yugoslavia, Pula and Istria have remained part of the modern Republic of Croatia.
Culture
As a result of its rich political history, Pula is a city with a cultural mixture of people and languages from the Mediterranean and Central Europe, ancient and contemporary. Pula's architecture reflects these layers of history. Residents are commonly fluent in foreign languages, especially Italian, often also German and English. From October 30, 1904 to March 1905 Irish writer James Joyce taught English at the Berlitz School; his students were mainly Austro-Hungarian naval officers who were stationed at the Naval Shipyard. While he was in Pula he organized the local printing of his broadsheet The Holy Office, which satirized both William Butler Yeats and George Russell [1].
Opera composer Antonio Smareglia was born in Pula and returned to live there.
Alida Valli, Italian actress, was born in Pula.
Physician Robert Koch worked on the nearby Brijuni islands.
Herman Potočnik (pseudonym Hermann Noordung) a rocket engineer and pioneer of cosmonautics (astronautics) was also born in Pula.
Georg Ritter von Trapp - Austrian naval hero and head of the famous singing family immortalized in the musical The Sound of Music lived in Pula.
Among the "polesi" (Italian natives of the city) is Sergio Endrigo, one of the most famous Italian singer-songwriters.
Tourism
The natural beauty of Pula's surrounding countryside and turquoise water of the Adriatic have made the city an internationally popular summer vacation destination. The pearl nearby is Brijuni national park visited by numerous world leaders since it was the summer residence of Josip Broz Tito. Roman villas and temples still lie buried among farm fields and along the shoreline of the dozens of surrounding fishing and farming villages. The coastal waters offer beaches, fishing, wreck dives to ancient Roman galleys and World War I warships, cliff diving, and sailing to unspoiled coves and islands large and small.
Pula is the end point of the EuroVelo 9 cycle route that runs from Gdansk on the Baltic Sea through Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia.
It is possible to track dinosaur footprints on the nearby sea shores; certain more important finds have been made at an undisclosed location near Bale.
[edit] Transport
Pula Airport is located south-east of Pula, and serves both domestic and international destinations. Similarly to nearby Rijeka Airport, it is not a major international destination. However, this is likely to change as low-cost airline, Ryanair has started scheduled flights to Pula since November 2006. Nearby international airports include Trieste in Italy, Zagreb, Croatia's capital and Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital. There are direct flights into Pula airport from London and Dublin during whole year and several other large airports in Western Europe during summer.
A train service operates north from Pula through to Slovenia, however the line remains disconnected to the rest of the Croatian Railways network due to historical accident. Plans to tunnel the 'missing link' between this line and from Rijeka have existed for many years, and despite work commencing on this project previously, has never seen completion.
Buses serve Pula from a wide range of local, domestic and international locations and operate from the large bus terminal on the edge of the city centre.
Passenger ferries also operate from the port area to nearby islands, and also to Venice in Italy.
Nearby towns and villages
View from Veruda commercial marine port.
Bale/Valle
Banjole/Bagnole
Barban/Barbanna
Brijuni/Brioni
Fažana/Fasana
Galižana/Gallesano
Ližnjan/Lisignano
Medulin/Medolino
Pomer/Pomero
Premantura/Promontore
Šišan/Sissano
Štinjan/Stignano
Valtura/Altura
Vodnjan/Dignano
Vinkuran/Vinkuran
The natural beauty of Pula's surrounding countryside and turquoise water of the Adriatic have made the city an internationally popular summer vacation destination. The pearl nearby is Brijuni national park visited by numerous world leaders since it was the summer residence of Josip Broz Tito. Roman villas and temples still lie buried among farm fields and along the shoreline of the dozens of surrounding fishing and farming villages. The coastal waters offer beaches, fishing, wreck dives to ancient Roman galleys and World War I warships, cliff diving, and sailing to unspoiled coves and islands large and small.
Pula is the end point of the EuroVelo 9 cycle route that runs from Gdansk on the Baltic Sea through Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia.
It is possible to track dinosaur footprints on the nearby sea shores; certain more important finds have been made at an undisclosed location near Bale.
[edit] Transport
Pula Airport is located south-east of Pula, and serves both domestic and international destinations. Similarly to nearby Rijeka Airport, it is not a major international destination. However, this is likely to change as low-cost airline, Ryanair has started scheduled flights to Pula since November 2006. Nearby international airports include Trieste in Italy, Zagreb, Croatia's capital and Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital. There are direct flights into Pula airport from London and Dublin during whole year and several other large airports in Western Europe during summer.
A train service operates north from Pula through to Slovenia, however the line remains disconnected to the rest of the Croatian Railways network due to historical accident. Plans to tunnel the 'missing link' between this line and from Rijeka have existed for many years, and despite work commencing on this project previously, has never seen completion.
Buses serve Pula from a wide range of local, domestic and international locations and operate from the large bus terminal on the edge of the city centre.
Passenger ferries also operate from the port area to nearby islands, and also to Venice in Italy.
Nearby towns and villages
View from Veruda commercial marine port.
Bale/Valle
Banjole/Bagnole
Barban/Barbanna
Brijuni/Brioni
Fažana/Fasana
Galižana/Gallesano
Ližnjan/Lisignano
Medulin/Medolino
Pomer/Pomero
Premantura/Promontore
Šišan/Sissano
Štinjan/Stignano
Valtura/Altura
Vodnjan/Dignano
Vinkuran/Vinkuran
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