Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria

About

MEMO is one of Pula’s most charming and unconventional museums, dedicated to everyday life in Croatia from the 1950s to the 1980s. Instead of focusing on grand historical events, it celebrates small, personal memories—objects, habits, and cultural quirks that shaped daily life during the Yugoslav era. This makes it both nostalgic and surprisingly insightful, especially for visitors curious about social history. One of the most interesting facts is that MEMO is designed as an immersive time capsule. Rooms are arranged like typical mid‑century interiors: a living room with retro furniture, a kitchen filled with enamel pots and patterned plates, and a school corner with wooden desks and old textbooks. Many items were donated by local families, giving the museum an authentic, lived‑in feel. The adjoining Letterpress Gallery adds a completely different layer. Here you can see traditional printing machines, metal type, and tools once used in local workshops. The gallery often hosts demonstrations, showing how posters, labels, and newspapers were produced before digital printing. The tactile nature of letterpress—ink, pressure, and paper—makes this section especially engaging.

Pula Croatia

Location

The MEMO Museum of Good Memories and Letterpress Gallery is located right in the centre of Pula's old town, just a short walk from the Forum square and the main shopping streets. It is a small, charming and very different kind of museum that brings you back to everyday life in Pula and Istria from the 1950s to the 1980s. Instead of ancient ruins, you will find old radios, typewriters, toys, clothes, household objects and nostalgic details that tell the recent story of the city. Connected to it is the Letterpress Gallery, where the old craft of printing comes to life with historic machines and handmade prints. Because it sits in the very heart of the old town, you are surrounded by the main sights. Right around the corner is the Forum with the Temple of Augustus and the Town Hall, and the famous Arch of the Sergii is only a couple of minutes away. From there you can stroll to the Twin Gates and the Gate of Hercules, two small but beautiful Roman gates. Pula's most famous attraction, the Arena, the impressive Roman amphitheatre, is also within easy walking distance, as is the hilltop fortress that houses the Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria with a great view over the harbour. The Archaeological Museum of Istria and the waterfront promenade with cafes and bars are nearby as well.