Pula City walls

Evidence suggests that the first walls were built during founding of the city/colony, which was in the 1^st century BC. The walls of old part of town around Kaštel hill, which surrounded the first residents of Pula, still exist today in their urban form. In the time of Augustus, many parts of town were rebuilt, because that was the most prosperous time of the city. Within several hundred meters of preserved wall, different shapes of towers can be recognized such as square, round and polygonal, which were built in different periods, and based on the military doctrine which was prevalent at the time, and changed according to the types of warfare. Because of the configuration of the terrain, they were often built in many layers. Dangerous times made the builders upgrade the outer walls with new “armor”, made from huge stone blocks, which doubled the thickness of the walls, and made it much stronger and more impenetrable.
Special techniques were used to form the inner and outer form of well-shaped stone blocks, which were connected with small rocks. According to Pietro Kandler, the outer perimeter of the wall was around 1600 meters.

Pula City walls

The city could have been entered through one of the twelve gates. Seven of them were facing the seaside, which is to the south and west, and five were looking to the land, on the north and east. Entrances were located near the water sources (Porta S. Giovanni), and on the other part through Porta rata or Aurata (Golden gate). Most part of the wall was without entrances, and it was further secured with towers and turrets. In the 1930s, Italian conservators and archeologists continued the work of their ancestors. The part from Golden gate to Twin gate was excavated and conserved, and the wall was partially reconstructed to bring back its previous importance and glamour.

The great tomb-stones of the huge ancient necropolis were later used for construction material. The stone blocks were taken from the mausoleums, huge family tomb-stones and sanctuaries, and built in the walls that needed to be repaired. Parts of built in ancient tomb-stones and monuments can still be found on the walls of the buildings from Austrian-Hungarian times – “Sic transit gloria mundi” (Thus passes the glory of the World). The walls, such an important part of the town, had to be repaired and reconstructed all the time, so today, on the remaining parts of the wall, you can “read” the history of the town.
 
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Pula City walls