The building of the Archaeological Museum of Istria (AMI) is located within the historical core of Pula, on the eastern slope of the main city hill, at the top of which stands a 17th-century Venetian fortress. 

The museum occupies the space of the former State German Gymnasium, built during Austro-Hungarian rule in Pula. It was designed by architect Natale Tommasi in 1890. Architecturally, the building is an example of historicist style with a prominent symmetrical facade, high windows, and simple decoration. In 1930, it was repurposed and housed the then Royal Museum (Regio Museo dell’Istria), successor to the City Museum (Museo Civico) founded in 1902. Since 1947, the institution has been known by its current name - Archaeological Museum of Istria.

The museum building is located in an area exceptionally rich in archaeological layers, which symbolically connects it with its primary purpose - the research and preservation of Istrian heritage. In prehistory, a Histrian hillfort from the Iron Age was located on this site, and today's building was erected above the remains of a Histrian house with preserved floors and hearths. An urn necropolis from the same period was also discovered in the immediate vicinity.

In ancient times, the area where the AMI building is located today was within the city walls of the Roman colony of Pola, near the Twin Gates, on the site of a former portico, as an integral part of the Small Roman Theatre, and a domus, whose foundational walls are still visible in its surroundings today.