Fort Punta Christo

Fort Punta Christo is a late 19th-century Austro-Hungarian fortress at the tip of the Kumpar peninsula, across the bay from the centre of Pula. It was built as one node in the huge defensive ring that protected Pula, then the principal naval base of Austria-Hungary, from attack by sea. The fort is cross-shaped, largely underground, with thick earth banks over the casemates.

Abandoned after the military left, the fortress has been partly cleared and restored by a volunteer society and now hosts summer concerts and events on its roof terrace. The setting, looking out over the entrance to the Pula harbour, is the real draw, and the interior passages and gun emplacements are largely intact.

Pula’s coastline is dotted with these forts, and Punta Christo is among the more accessible and better-kept. It is a short, rough track from the road, and access is sometimes only during events, so check what is open before you make the trip out.

For photographers, the fort at dusk with the harbour lights is the shot. Pair it with the Pula amphitheatre and the Zerostrato tunnels for a full day of Pula’s military and Roman layers.

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