Pula & Istria, Croatia
Pula & Istria, Croatia
Thursday 25 June to Sunday 28 June 2026
Start time/place: 5pm/central Pula
Finish time/place: 12pm/central Pula
Pula and Istria’s architecture and history are intertwined. They were Austro-Hungarian until 1918, Italian between the two world wars, in 1947 became Yugoslav, then in 1991 Croatian. The tour is led by Peter Elborn and Maroje Mrduljas.
OUTLINE ITINERARY
Thursday 25 June
Late afternoon: introduction to Pula and visit to Emil Jurcan's recent extension of the Small Roman Theatre.
Friday 26 June
Morning: Pula with a focus on the Austro-Hungarian and Italian periods (including the 1910 market hall, and the 1930s post office by Angiolo Mazzoni), followed by Yugoslav and Croatian architecture (including 1950s and 60s residential accommodation by Kazimir Ostrogovic).
Afternoon: visit to the island of Brijuni: buildings associated with Tito and the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement (possibly the State Summer Residence by Joze Plecnik).
Saturday 27 June
Raša, a small coal mining town created in 1936-7 as part of Mussolini's urban colonisation of Istria, planned according to rationalist principles by the Italian architect Gustavo Pulitzer-Finali. Labin, built between 1938 and 1942 when the Italian government established città di fondazione (planned towns), as well as the Dom Zdravlja (hospital) by Mladena Vodičke (1963-81). After lunch, Rovinj on the coast, the location of some spectacular Yugoslav hotels of the late 1960s and early 1970s, visited as Tito’s guests by many Hollywood celebrities, and their recent reworking. A partner from 3LHD will join us on the site of the Hotel Lone.
Sunday 28 June
Morning: further exploration of Pula.
Peter Elborn is Events Secretary for the British-Croatian Society and has led C20 events in the past.
Maroje Mrduljas is an academic and the author of books on architecture, including several relating to the architecture of socialist Yugoslavia. He has produced two highly popular television programmes in Croatia on neglected modernist architecture in the former Yugoslavia. He was a curator of the exhibition Toward a Concrete Utopia at MOMA, New York (2018/19)
C20 Society & British–Croatian Society* Members only £380
(Included in the price: coach travel, 1 dinner; and a contribution to the casework and campaigning activities of the Society)
*BCS Members please email lukas@c20society.org.uk to book
Numbers limited to 25
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Above: Hotel Lone by 3LHD on the Rovinj Coast. Photo courtesy of expedia.com
The Twentieth Century Society is an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building conservation) recognised CPD provider and a registered charity, no 1110244