2 Euro BU

Pula is located at the southern tip of the Istrian Peninsula. In Roman times, the city was called Pola and held the status of a colony. Its location on a sheltered bay favoured its development as a port and trading centre. The present-day cityscape preserves traces of several periods: alongside Roman buildings, there are remnants of Venetian rule, its time as an Austro-Hungarian naval port, and its Italian and Yugoslav past.

The Arena acquired its monumental form in the 1st century AD. It was built from regional limestone and, as was customary for Roman amphitheatres, stood outside the city centre at the time. The oval complex was used for gladiatorial combats, animal hunts and other public spectacles. Its tiers of seats surrounded the arena; people, animals and equipment for the events could be housed in underground rooms. Characteristic features of the structure are the largely preserved outer wall with its superimposed rows of arches and four tower-like additions.

After the end of Roman antiquity, the building lost its original function. Some of the stone was used elsewhere, but the outer shell survived to an unusually large extent. Today, the Arena serves as an open-air venue. It is particularly associated with the Pula Film Festival, held since the 1950s, but is also used for concerts, opera performances and other cultural events.

The choice of the motif is explained by the close connection between the structure and the history and visual identity of the city. At the same time, it refers to Istria’s Roman past and to Croatia’s affiliation with the Adriatic and Mediterranean cultural sphere. Within a coin series about Croatian cities, the Arena is therefore a readily identifiable landmark of Pula. The juxtaposition of ancient and more recent architecture in the city panorama also makes visible the historical layers from which present-day Pula has developed.