The stone vaults
Levels of passages and magazines, finely built.
Orlovic — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Orlovic — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Orlovic — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Orlovic — CC BY-SA 4.0
A huge Austro-Hungarian fort on a headland north-west of Pula, built between 1886 and 1890 to defend the harbour entrance of the **Austro-Hungarian Navy** — which had its main base here. That fact explains modern Pula entirely: between 1856 and 1918 the city was **the empire''s principal naval port**, its population jumping from a few thousand to around sixty thousand, with **more than thirty forts and batteries** built around it, most of them still standing. Punta Christo is the largest and best preserved: multiple levels of stone passages, vaults, magazines and gun positions, built to a high standard of masonry, and abandoned for decades. Note: the site is **unrestored and unsecured** — no lighting, no barriers at the edges, and openings in the floors. Bring a torch and do not go into the vaults alone. Note: in summer the fort is used for large **electronic music festivals**, so it may be closed or hired out for days at a time.
Levels of passages and magazines, finely built.
Looking over the harbour mouth they were built to defend.
From the headland over Pula bay and its islands.
Štinjan, Pula — about 8 km north-west of the centre
It suits people who go in for **urban exploration** and know what they are doing, and it does not suit a family with small children. The site has been abandoned for decades and is unrestored: **no lighting at all inside the vaults**, no barriers at the edges of walls and ditches, and in some floors **open unmarked shafts** dropping several levels. The practical rules: **a torch** (not just a phone), **closed shoes with grip**, do not go alone, stay away from edges, and do not arrive late in the day. ⚠ Check the festival programme before driving out — at the height of summer the site closes for days at a time. Anyone wanting a restored and safe fort should go to the **Kaštel** fortress in central Pula instead.
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