Have you already visited the largest ancient monument in Croatia?
The amphitheater or Pula Arena is the only one completely preserved among the largest monuments of the age of ancient architecture. It ranks 6th in size among Roman amphitheatres in the world, all three architectural orders of which have been completely preserved. Today, the arena in Pula stands next to world-famous amphitheatres; The Colosseum in Rome, the Arena in Verona, the amphitheatres in Pompeii, Nimes and Arles in France and El Djem in Tunisia. Although it really has a great story, it is surprising that the Arena, as a cultural treasure of Croatia and the world, is not yet on the UNESCO World List. She was nominated twice for the List, but then her candidacy was withdrawn.
The outer wall cladding of the Arena is today the crown of the lacy structure.
The appearance of the Arena is proof of the knowledge of the luxury of the past! The Pula Arena was built in the first century, during the reign of Emperor Vespasian, by sea and by transporting stones because that was the easiest way for them to create this great monument. An extremely geometrically regular building, it has an elliptical appearance with a length of 132.45 m, a width of 105.10 m and a height of up to 32 meters on the sea side. The spectator area could accommodate up to 23,000 people for gladiatorial fights and often bloodthirsty scenes with beasts. Of course, the seating arrangement in that era follows the social hierarchy… A very interesting detail of this world wonder is the carved names of sentor families, which are still very legible.
Legend has it that Emperor Vespasian had the Pula arena built in honor of his mistress, but there are various other legends that have not been violated. At the same time, the largest and today’s most famous amphitheater, the Colosseum in Rome, was being built.
Today, the Pula Arena is used for summer concerts, film festivals and operas
Today, the Pula Arena is one of the best venues for summer events and entertainment. Famous world performers such as Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, Norah Jones, Robbie Williams, Eros Ramazzotti, Imagine Dragons and many others performed. In addition to numerous concerts, the “Pula Film Festival” is also one of the most exciting events held every year, from June to August, right under the stars of this famous Amphitheater. The “Pula Film Festival” project has been running since 1954.
You can read more about the “Pula Film Festival” here;