Description

Muzil is a 180-hectare peninsula on the edge of Pula, and for most locals it was a mystery for generations. In 1859 Austria made Pula its main naval port, and from then until 2007 Muzil was closed to the public. Austrian, Italian, Yugoslav and Croatian armies came and went, and the last to leave was an infantry training centre of the Croatian Army.

More than 150 years of military use have left layer upon layer of history. On the peninsula you will find an old quarry, Austro-Hungarian forts and gun batteries carved into the living rock. On top of Muzil Hill, 81 metres above the sea, stands Fort Musil, a round coastal fort built in the 1850s that, together with Fort Punta Christo on the other side, guarded the entrance to Pula Bay. A local legend even claims that one of the forts is linked to the Brijuni Islands by a tunnel under the sea.

The coast of Muzil is the wildest in Pula. Here you will find the city’s highest cliffs, a narrow canyon, a tidal cave and a sea cave hidden beneath the surface, all best seen from the water. On a kayak tour from Valovine beach you can paddle right up to them and stop for a swim in a secluded cove.

Nearby, at Stoja, lies Golubova špilja, the Pigeon Cave, a half-flooded sea cave protected as part of the Natura 2000 network. It is home to protected bats and the pigeons it is named after, and its waters are a habitat for strictly protected species such as the Mediterranean monk seal. To protect the cave and the safety of visitors, entering it in any way, swimming, by kayak or by boat, has been forbidden since 2025, and the area is patrolled.