Pula Arena, Pula, Croatia - SpottingHistory

The Pula Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers and with all three Roman architectural orders entirely preserved. It is among the six largest surviving Roman arenas in the World. A rare example among the 200 surviving Roman amphitheatres, it is also the best preserved ancient monument in Croatia.

The Arena was built between 27 BC and 68 AD, as the city of Pula became a regional centre of Roman rule, called Pietas Julia. The name was derived from the sand that, since antiquity, covered the inner space. It was built outside the town walls along the Via Flavia, the road from Pula to Aquileia and Rome.

The amphitheatre was first built in timber during the reign of Augustus (2–14 AD). It was replaced by a small stone amphitheatre during the reign of emperor Claudius. In 79 AD it was enlarged to accommodate gladiator fights by Vespasian and to be completed in 81 AD under emperor Titus. This was confirmed by the discovery of a Vespasian coin in the malting.

The amphitheatre remained in use until the 5th century, when emperor Honorius prohibited gladiatorial combats. It was not until 681 that combat between convicts, particularly those sentenced to death, and wild animals was forbidden. In the 5th century the amphitheatre began to see its stone plundered by the local populace.

In the Middle Ages the interior of the Arena was used for grazing, occasional tournaments by the Knights of Malta and medieval fairs. In 1583 the Venetian Senate proposed dismantling the arena and rebuilding it within Venice. The proposals were rejected. Today, a headstone celebrating the Venetian senator Gabriele Emo's opposition to the plan is currently visible on the second tower.

In 1709, stone was taken from Pula arena for the belfry foundations at Pula Cathedral. This was the last time the arena was used as a source of stone.

General Auguste de Marmont, as French governor of the Illyrian Provinces, started the restoration of the arena. This was continued in 1816 by the Ticinese architect Pietro Nobile, commissioned by the emperor Francis I of Austria.

In 1932, the arena was adapted for theatre productions, military ceremonies and public meetings. In its present state, seating capacity is around 7000 and 12,500 for all standing events.

The arena is today used as a venue for many concerts.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Danina La (3 years ago)
Beautiful historical building and great architecture! Well worth giving the history a read on Google. There is the option to visit inside, I'm not sure about the price of the entry fee, as It has already been some time since I was last inside. Not entirely sure if there were bathrooms available. From what I remember it's also pretty central.

Aleksandar Sarkanjac (3 years ago)
Beautiful piece of human history, a 2000+ years old Roman arena, surprisingly well preserved. There's an entrance fee (90 kn at the moment), but you can simply walk around it and see the inside from every angle. However, if you wish to see it from the inside I'd recommend visiting it during one of various events that are often hosted there (gladiator fights with actors, concerts, etc.), as that's when it most comes alive.

Jo Sauter (3 years ago)
A fascinating attraction to visit – even just from the outside. Tickets to enter the arena, including the underground exhibition, are affordable – but up to the individual if it’s really worth the money. You can see quite a lot from the outside, and the underground exhibition was smaller and less interesting than expected. Audio guides cost extra.

MIHIR SATHE (3 years ago)
It is very similar structure to the Rome Colosseum. It's big and beautiful place to visit. It's crowded on weekends. There is a chance that the parking place is full especially on weekends. So you will have to park somewhere else in that case. You require a ticket to enter the arena. But honestly, its not at all required. You can see the full insed of the arena from outside for free. You just need to walk up near the backside church and from the fence you get a look of the whole place from inside. So don't buy tickets for inside. You won't see anything special by going in... Its the same view. But the place is very nice to visit with friends and family.

Alexandra Dumitru (3 years ago)
This is the most important place in the city and one of the well preserved roman architecture monuments in the world. Dating back to the second century this monument is absolutely stunning. It is very well preserved, clean and visiting it early in the morning is a nice thing to do

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