Croatia

The Pula Arena is the name of the amphitheater located in Pula, located app. 30 kilometers from my hometown Rovinj. The Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheater to have four side towers and with all three Roman architectural orders entirely preserved. It and is among the six largest surviving Roman arenas in the whole world and the best preserved ancient monument in Croatia

The arena had a total of 15 gates. A series of underground passageways were built underneath the arena along the main axis from which animals, ludi scenes and fighters could be released; stores and shops were located under the raked seating. The amphitheater  was part of the circuit of the gladiators.

The amphitheater remained in use until the 5th century, when emperor Honorius prohibited gladiatorial combats. It was not until 681 that combat between convicts, particularly those sentenced to death, and wild animals was forbidden.

In the Middle Ages the interior of the Arena was used for grazing, occasional tournaments by the Knights of Malta and medieval fairs. In 1583 the Venetian Senate proposed dismantling the arena and rebuilding it within Venice. The proposals were rejected.

Nowadays, arena is used as a venue for many concerts. A Professional Hockey game will be played here on September 14th and September 16th, 2012. KHL Medveščak Zagreb, better known as the Bears, will be the host for these two games. I bet it will be a great show!