Roman Monument
Temple of Augustus & Roman Forum
Pula · Istria
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Roman Monument
- COUNTRY
- Croatia
- REGION
- Pula · Istria
- DURATION
- 1–2 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
The Temple of Augustus stands on what was the Roman forum, the main square of Pietas Julia, and is one of the best-preserved Roman temples on the east Adriatic. It was dedicated to Rome and the emperor Augustus and raised in the early 1st century AD, its Corinthian columns and pediment facing the forum where the civic life of Roman Pula took place. Today it shares the square with the surviving side of the Temple of Roma and Augustus and the medieval Communal Palace, so the square still reads as a Roman forum overlaid with later building.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
The temple was built shortly after Pula became a Roman colony, in the early 1st century AD, as part of a three-temple complex on the forum dedicated to the Capitoline triad and the imperial cult. It survived as a church and then a granary under later rulers, and was badly damaged by an Allied bomb in 1944 that destroyed its roof and columns. The stones were gathered and the temple rebuilt in 1945–47, so what stands today is a faithful reconstruction of the Roman original, now holding a small collection of ancient sculpture.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The Corinthian portico and pediment of the temple, rebuilt from the original stones after the 1944 bombing.
The back wall of the twin Temple of Roma and Augustus, its columns re-erected beside the Communal Palace.
The Communal Palace itself, built into the forum in the medieval period and still the city’s administrative building.
The small sculpture collection inside the temple, including Roman portraits and funerary monuments.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
The forum is the civic heart of Roman Pula and the place where the city’s layered history is most legible — a Roman square still in use, with a reconstructed temple, medieval palace and modern cafés all sharing the same stones. For a visitor it is the natural second stop after the Arena and the best place to understand Pula as a Roman city rather than just an arena.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
THROUGH THE LENS
From the road
MAP & LOCATION
Temple of Augustus & Roman Forum
Temple of Augustus & Roman Forum, Pula, Istria, Croatia
44.8711, 13.8488
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Pula
THINGS TO DO
Things to do nearby
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Konoba Istriana — Istrian truffles and pasta
Pula’s harbour-side cafés and pizzerias
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Hotel Galija — central base near the arena
Apartments around Verudela for beach access
ITINERARIES
Day-by-day routes
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
PART OF
Keep exploring
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