New AMI Permanent Exhibition

Creation of the new exhibition

ollowing years of preparation and a series of professional documents, including the architectural design for the building's adaptation, the initial exhibition scenario, and the interpretation plan, the Archaeological Museum of Istria in 2025 stepped into the final detailed design phase for an entirely new and contemporary permanent exhibition. The public opening is planned for late 2026 or early 2027.

The new museological concept was developed in collaboration with curators, educators, conservator-restorers, archaeologists, anthropologists, architects, designers, multimedia specialists, and heritage interpretation experts. Our goal is to align new scientific knowledge with the needs of contemporary audiences and the new functional possibilities of the renovated building.

Why a new exhibition?

The museum's last permanent exhibition was set up in 1973. Since then, numerous investigative projects have been performed, and important finds have been discovered that could not be included in the exhibition due to the limitations of the old concept. Most of these objects were presented through temporary exhibitions and then stored. With the building's adaptation, completed in 2022, conditions were created for improved accessibility, contemporary display of materials, improved working conditions for specialists, and the adequate protection of objects. A new permanent exhibition thus emerged as a logical progression in the development of museological and archaeological practice in Istria.

The primary objectives of the new permanent exhibition are:

To make museum objects and new scientific knowledge accessible to the wider public.
To encourage greater awareness and an experience of the local archaeological heritage through an interactive exhibition, multi-layered interpretation, and universal design adapted for diverse visitor groups.
To increase the number and diversity of visitors through various programmes, extended interpretation, and connections with remote collections, along with workshops and lectures.
To ensure the preservation of archaeological heritage through integrated management and to foster the sustainable development of the local community.
To improve working conditions for specialists to enable more efficient conservation, restoration, investigation, and presentation of archaeological material.

Vision: a diffuse museum of Istrian past

The new museological concept is based on the idea of a "diffuse museum": at the core is the permanent exhibition in the AMI building, but the story of Istria's past continues at archaeological sites and in partnership with local communities. In this way, heritage is not seen merely as a collection of objects in a display case, but as a network of places, stories, and practices within the space.

Within the building itself, the exhibition follows a chronological thread. Our story begins before the appearance of the first humans in Istria, then traces their earliest footprints at a time when the northern Adriatic Sea was a fertile plain intersected by rivers. The exhibition will then lead visitors to the first planned settlements, Bronze Age hillforts and Histrian communities, Roman colonisation, the Early Christian and medieval periods, all the way to the modern period and the transformation of Pula into an Austro-Hungarian port. The numismatic and underwater archaeology collections permeate all sections, offering an additional "horizontal" perspective; money as a testament to economic flows, and the sea as an area of connection and exchange.

The exhibition is broadly divided into two major narrative sections:

Cultural Landscapes, focuses on the relationship between humans and the environment, from geological past and traces of dinosaurs, through Palaeolithic caves, the Neolithic period and the emergence of a sedentary lifestyle, to Bronze Age hillforts and the Histrian world. The aim is to emphasise the extent to which the natural environment shapes culture.
Clashes of Powerpresents the story of Roman conquest and Romanisation, urban development, religious changes, early Christianity, Frankish and Venetian rule, Early Modern castles and economic activities, and, finally, Pula, which transformed from a "city of the dead" into an imperial naval port. This section aims to raise awareness of historical dynamics and their repercussions on contemporary society.

Throughout the entire exhibition, curators explore and interpret local identity, demonstrating how various influences have intertwined in the Istrian region and shaped its layered culture.

Accessible and interactive exhibition

The new permanent exhibition embodies universal design principles. Spaces are adapted for people with reduced mobility, blind and partially sighted individuals, and those with other forms of disabilities. Tactile paths, tactile and reconstructed exhibits, clear signage with high contrast and simple pictograms are provided, as well as multiple text levels, from simple text intended for children and visitors without prior knowledge, to specialised text for those who wish to learn more.

Interpretation is conveyed through a combination of original objects, museum texts, models and dioramas, illustrations, sound, animations, multimedia guides, and augmented reality. The exhibition will be explorable with audio guides in multiple languages and thematic multimedia guides (e.g., migrations, spirituality and religions, gender roles, climate change) for visitors with specific interests.

Particular attention is focused on children and youth: "children's corners" with short animations, tasks, and interactive content for independent exploration are planned in each section. AMI also continues to develop a range of educational programs in collaboration with kindergartens, schools, universities, and other education institutions.

Renovated building: a contemporary museum space

With the reconstruction completed in 2022, the building gained a clear functional division: the basement houses storage rooms, workshops, a café, and restrooms; the ground floor features an entrance area with a ticket office, info-desk, cloakroom, souvenir shop, educational hall, and conservation-restoration laboratories; the first and second floors contain exhibition spaces and documentation; and the loft houses offices and a coworking zone for specialists. An elevator was installed, ensuring accessibility to all floors, and the courtyard was arranged as a lapidarium (collection of stone sculpture) with in situ presented archaeological finds.

The museum as a meeting place

The contemporary Archaeological Museum of Istria aims to be more than just a "display case for objects"; it wants to be an open, dynamic space for encounters among specialists, the local community, and visitors from around the world. Through its new permanent exhibition, clearly contextualised and programmatically connected satellite collections, and education and investigative programmes, the museum strengthens the role of archaeological heritage in the development of a sustainable and resilient community and becomes a reference point for understanding Istria's past.