The Military Hospital

The Military Hospital in Pula, known as the Navy Hospital, was built in 1861 for the needs of the Austro-Hungarian navy. Its official name of the time was K. u. k. Marinespital in Pola. Its primary purpose was to take care of sailors, army troops, recruits, as well as students of the Navy Mechanical Engineering School and other military institutions. Works were supervised by Viktor Damaševski, a technical captain and the hospital designer. The Military Hospital had about 500 formation beds sufficient for the provision of medical care for 5,000 to 10,000 people. During its turbulent history, the hospital was changing its name with the change of those in power. Following the WW1, it was taken over by the Italian Royal Navy and named Ospedale Regio Marina. After the WW2, it was turned into the Military Hospital for the needs of the Yugoslav People's Army, civilian population and retired soldiers. Despite some ideas of its shutting down, the hospital was refurbished and modernized during the 1970s. In 1981, the institution obtained the appearance of a modern day hospital. The Military Hospital in Pula is an example of historicist construction of the Austro-Hungarian building tradition. Its U-shaped layout with mildly protruding finishes and the central part of the facade emphasize the symmetry of the structure itself. The main entrance portal is semi-circular, and the main axis additionally emphasized by the first floor balcony with a triple-lancet window and its semi-circular finish, embellishing the second floor as well. Other openings on the external facade are double- lancet windows. The facade interior is much simpler with simple rectangular windows.