Pula - Pola: "Vienna allowed the second Pola's Renaissance"
The second video is to recall Vienna and Vienna's casual historical decision to reconstruct and rebuild Pula.
During that period Pula lived its second Renaissance and was brought to its antique splendour.
Over the last decades most of that splendour got lost but if you look with attention in many buildings you will recognize Art Nouveau style.
Maybe one day Pula will find a way to return part of its historical beauty and find the way to create the new one too.
There is another element that characterized Austro-Hungarian Empire and I would try to express this concept through words I heard from the Austrian Minister of Economy in Vienna on 29th of November 1998 when he was giving a speach during our Master CEMS graduation cerimony held in Schönbrunn Palace.
The former Austrian Minister of Ecenomy was talking to us and decided to share a story his grandfather told him several years ago.
In summary his grandfather told him if your generation succeed to create the World we had many years ago you will be able to say that you did a great job.
He explained to him that when he was young he was able to travel to Russia or anywhere in Europe and did not have problems to work or live in any place he wanted.
"Today this is very hard and for many poeple almost impossible. There are many obstacles and your generation should work to reduce those barriers and spread the understanding among different cultures."
I would like to end this story of Pula with a say that there is always an opportunity... having Benigni in the video below I would say also "La vita e' bella"... but require hard and continuous work...
After yesterday's Rome, Constantinople, Venice, Vienna, Belgarde... today's Zagreb... and possible Bruxelles - New York of tomorrow...
Still nothing to show from Bruxelles's traces in Pula, but the following video of Benigni being guest at the European Parliament may be a good and positive attitude start :)... the future is always in minority...