Schiffsfabrik Uljanik und Lightning Giants

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Originally owned by a shepherd, it was bought by the Austro - Hungarian government to produce
ships for the navy. The first ship built called the Kaiser was launched in 1858.

The facilities and the main plant of the shipyard is located on the island, and it is connected to the coast by a bridge.

From its inception until the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the shipyard was used to build and repair warships.

During Italian rule, which began in 1918, the shipyard was used to build submarines and repair old warships.

During the Second World War, the port and Pula were of great importance. After the capitulation of Italy, in 1943, Pula came under German rule, Uljanik became a strong naval base and the shipyard suffered great damage after the Allied bombing; 70% of the buildings were destroyed.

After the liberation of Pula, the shipyard took over the Anglo-American command, began reconstruction and was rebuilt under the Republic of Yugoslavia. Later, contracts for the production of diesel engines were signed.

The new phase of the development of mammoth ships marked the application of hull construction technology in two parts and their connection in the navigable state. These were large tankers and ships for the transport of ore and oil, and in the eighties they supplied ships for the transport of wagons. Uljanik was world-famous for the construction of ships to transport cars, mostly to the Italian Grimaldi group.

In the 1990s, it became a joint stock company with new market bases, and at the end of that period, a major technological renovation began, including the construction of a new hall and a robotic profile cutting line. They return to the construction of ships for the transport of cars and were engaged in the production of ships for the transport of livestock and dredgers.

During 2013, the second largest shipyard in the northern Adriatic, 3.MAJ , was integrated into the Uljanik Group. In 2016, Uljanik entered the world of polar cruises. The world's first luxury research ship has been contracted with the Australian Scenic Group.

Currently, the shipyard is in a liquidity crisis, workers have been fired and a certain solution is awaited for the life of the city of Pula, which leaves this area poor due to the shutdown of production and the largest industry.

On eight cranes in 2014 on the occasion of the famous Pula Visualia Festival, an art installation-the lighting giants was ceremoniously opened, the lighting of the shipyard's cranes, which was still working at the time, controlled by a computer, with different lighting scenes and combinations of 16,000 colors.

Since then, Uljanik has shone on various occasions, from the World Cup to the celebration of various ceremonies and honors. The British portal The Telegraph has chosen Pula as one of the 20 world destinations that must be visited precisely because of the light sensation. Every evening, city residents and guests can enjoy a spectacle lasting 15 minutes, every full hour.