It's amazing to think that after all of the fuss, excitement and preparations that come with the festive period, Christmas, Advent and Croatia's winter tourism - that it's all over in a matter of days. The popular city of Pula in beautiful Istria placed an ice skating rink in the centre of town, and it seems that it was a real hit with both locals and visitors alike.

As Glas Istre/Borka Petrovic writes on the 14th of January, 2020, now the events of Advent are behind us and the traffic in the heart of the City of Pula has returned to normal levels, local portal Glas Istre (the Voice of Istria) asked Pula's local authorities to evaluate the results of the decision to close the city center for two months - whether they thought it was a good idea and whether Pula's festive ice skating rink would be placed in the same location this year?

The portal also asked them to provide a look into the financial parametres of the whole story, that is, how much individual communal utilities lost and indeed how much they earned through this plan.

In the City of Pula, the ice skating rink's location is said to have been a hit, stating that it has become a traditional gathering place for many Pula residents who are more than happy to have another festive facility available to them during the winter months where they can have a good time in the city and enjoy healthy, sporting activities alongside sausages, mulled wine and fritule.

The location was also a huge hit as far as the figures are concerned, too. More than 16,000 visitors passed through the Pula ice skating rink, which is a massive fifty percent more than the year before when the rink was installed on Veruda.

The Pula skating rink's total revenue amounts to 520,000 kuna, while the cost of installing, renting equipment (wooden-metal stand, lighting, bins and containers, transportation and transport costs, manpower, electricity etc) amounted to 518,000 kuna.

''Although the rink was financially self-sustaining, the purpose of the rink was not economic, the rink was set up so that our fellow citizens could be offered additional facilities and a place for entertainment,'' the City of Pula notes.

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As Glas Istre/Borka Petrovic writes on the 8th of November, 2019, the biggest news of this year's "December in Pula" program is the ice skating rink that will move from King Tomislav Square on Veruda to the very city centre. Mayor Boris Miletić justified the moving of the skating rink by claiming that it better adheres to the wishes of local kids and their parents, but also to the desire to bring all activities together in one place and stimulate additional liveliness in the city centre.

The installation of the ice skating rink, measuring 30 times 20 metres, will begin next week, more precisely on November the 13th, and the opening is planned for November the 29th. The rink will be open until January the 6th, 2020.

Traditionally, the first and last day of the ice skating rink's operation will be free of charge for everyone, as well as for all previously announced organised visits of preschool and school institutions.

Because of the ice skating rink of the rink and the turning of Giardini into a pedestrian zone, many changes in traffic regulations and public transport will be introduced in Pula.

Thus, for all traffic, as was the situation with previous years, Giardini will be turned into a pedestrian zone, Laginjina (at the intersection with Smareglinas street and Anticova street) will be closed from November the 13th onwards, and this year, Zagrebačka will be closed at the intersection with Dobricheva ulica, while Zadarska street (from the intersection with Istarska street to the intersection with Dobricheva street) will adopt a one-way system in the direction of Istarska street.

Carrarina is turning into a two-way impasse with the possibility of a semi-circular turn, and the taxi station will be relocated to the site of the current bus stop on Istarska street. All this was explained by Mayor Giordano Škuflić.

Igor Skatar, the director of Pulapromet, explained that the Pula city bus lines that otherwise operated along those sections would be diverted to the nearest surrounding stations, using mostly stops at the city library, Pula Arena and the market, and that changes to these routes would be available to the public on the company's website. The bus times will not change.

Pulaparking director Branislav Bojanić also stated that there will be free parking throughout the month of December.

''After November the 15th, we will be more tolerant of drivers and will allow delays of five or ten minutes until things are settled. But one thing we won't tolerate in December is improper parking and we will be rigorous there,'' Bojanić stressed.

The director of the Pula Film Festival Public Institution, Gordana Restović, emphasised that with the nearby ice rink, the entire site will be surrounded by amenities - as usual, eighteen cottages with various facilities will be located there, as will two stages, a gastro corner and the magic forest for toddlers, and in cooperation with the Visualia Festival, this pedestrian zone will be further enriched by the installation of the "Passage of Wishes" (Prolaz želja), that is, light arches that will extend as far as 50 metres along Giardini street.

As usual, a large stage and more than twenty concerts will be available to enjoy on Portarata, and the traditional New Year's Eve celebrations will be held at the Forum.

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