The Archaeological Museum of Istria is one of the largest museums in the Republic of Croatia, founded in 1902. Its main role is the research, protection, preservation, presentation, and valorization of the archaeological, monumental, and cultural heritage of the Istrian peninsula. It functions as a level 2 parent museum for the Istria and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties. Today, the museum's collection numbers more than 125,000 objects.
Today, the Museum has three organizational units. The Department of Professional and Museum Affairs consists of the Department of Archaeology (which includes the Prehistoric, Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, Numismatic collections, and the Underwater Archaeology Collection), followed by the Department of Documentation, the Department of Education, the Department of Conservation-Restoration, and the Library. Other museum organizational units are the Director's Office and the Department of Joint Services.
The Museum has relocated collections in the Pula Amphitheater, then in the Temple of Augustus and the Franciscan Monastery, and in Nesactium. It cares for the monumental heritage of Pula and Istria and operates in several Pula galleries (Museum-Gallery Space Sacred Hearts, Gallery C8, Amphitheater Gallery, and the space at Carrarina 4).
