Brijuni

Fort Minor

 

Cut into the side of a hill in the late 19th century, Fort Minor is distinct from others in its form and arrangement. As the biggest fortification of the naval port of Pula, residing on the nearby island of Mali Brijun, the fort’s main purpose was to control the northern passage towards Pula.

However, despite its builders’intentions and its classification as a coastal armoured fort, the Fort Minor has never seen any military

action, and has thus been preserved as a historical and cultural monument. Having never been used for its purpose, the fortress’s nature is curiously concealed, resembling a fort, but never acting as one, and covering much of its hard stone with a blanket of rich vegetation. With such an undefined nature, the fort lends itself perfectly to the myriad of mythical locations the theatre demands of it, offering itself willingly to new possibilities.

It is thanks to this fort that Ulysses Theatre found its home on the Brijuni islands, discovering in its mutability potential for endless settings and atmospheres, and since the festival’s creation in 2001 the fort has played a leading role in all the performances staged within its walls.

Brijuni

 

The archipelago of Brijuni is an extraordinary blend of natural, historical and cultural heritage. The mild climate and the favourable geographical conditions, deep retracted bays and easily defendable elevated fortifications, have secured a human presence on the island from the pre-historic age until the present day.

On a relatively small archipelago, with an area of around 7km2, some hundred sites and buildings of archaeological and cultural-historical value can be found, ranging from the period of the first Neolithic settlements, the dugouts in the bay of Soline, to the creationof an elite summer and health resort at the beginning

of the last century and the presidential residency visited by statesmen from one third of the world’s countries in its 25 years of existence (1954-1979). There are also numerous very well preserved Roman remains dotted around the island for visitors to stumble upon.