Istria Croatia

About Istria Croatia

Istria is the western -most county of the Republic of Croatia, and it is the largest Croatian peninsula. For Central European countries Istria is the nearest tourist destination to the seaside. It borders the Republic of Slovenia to the north, and to the west shares the sea border with the Republic of Italy.,

Its surface covers the area of 2.820 km', making a triangle from the river Dragonja on the west part, down to Cape Kamenjak, the most southern point of Istria, and to the east up to the masif Ucka, with the highest point of 1.396 m above sea level.
The Adriatic Sea washes all three sides of the Istrian indented coast, which extends across 445,1 km, being twice the length of the Istrian road line. The western Istrian coast is 242,5 km long and together with the coastline of the islands and islets stretches out on a 212,4 kilometres surface.
Istria is traversed by the 45th parallel of latitude north, and thus the Istrian peninsula is situ-ated just in the middle of the north hemisphere, or midway between the equator and the North Pole. The weather conditions are characterized by the mild Mediterranean climate.

According to archaeological finds, the first traces of human life on the Istrian peninsula originate from prehistory or the Early Stone Age. The Illyrian tribes of Histri settled on Istria about a thousand year before Christ, and the peninsula was named after them. The first conflicts of Illyrian tribes and the Romans began in the middle of the 3rd century BC and lasted, with short interrup¬tions almost two centuries. The Romans finally defeated them and those that remained became slaves. The Romans established their own colonies, introduced Roman law and Latin as the official language. The towns of Buzet, Umag, Porec, Pula, Rovinj, Medulin and others were founded in this period.
After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, Istria was ruled by the Goths, and from the middle of the 6th century it came under the rule of the Byzantine Empire which lasted until the 8lh century, when this territory was occupied by the Franks. The Slavs began to penetrate in the 8th century, but the strongest Slavonic colonisation occurred in the 9,h and lO* centuries. As the Croatian state, which expanded at that time as far as the Raska, became weaker, the Franks occupied Istria again in the 11lh century. However Venice, a strong opponent, began already to in¬terfere in Istrian life in the 10th century, and it completely conquered Istria in the 12"1 century. When Istria was divided into two parts - Venetian and Austrian - in the 15th century, it remained so until the fall of Venice in 1797. This division did not influence the development of Istria in a positive way. Frequent conflicts in the 17th century, invasions by the Turks and fugitives from the Turks in other areas, plague epidemics, poverty, poor years, all devastated Istria.

Napoleon occupied Venice in 1797 and thus put an end to the mightiest state in the Adriatic. By agreement with France and Austria, Venetian Istria was joined to Austria.
In the war of 1805 between France on the one side and Austria and Russia on the other, Napoleon was the victor so that Istria came under French occupation. However, after Napoleon's defeat in Russia and Europe, and the peace treaty made in Vienna in 1815, Istria as a whole came under Austrian rule. This lasted until 1918. On the basis of the armistice treaty made on November 3,1918 between the allied forces, Italy occupied the Istrian peninsula and some other Croatian regions. The mass participation of the Istrian people in the antifascist struggle in the Second World War resulted in the victory and liberation of Istria from centuries-long occupation. Finally, the People's Liberation Board made the historical decision in Pazin on September 13,1943 to unite Istria with Croatia.
After the liberation, Istria contin-ued its social and economic development. It was an integral part of so-cialist Yugoslavia until 1991, when Croatia finally became an independent, democratic state.

Istria has preserved its continuity of human life and work from prehistory until the present day. Numerous hill-forts ("kasteljeri", "gradine") mostly from the Iron Age speak about the human existence here in prehistory. Ancient monuments are also a valuable heritage: the Roman Amphitheatre, Augustus's temple, Forum, Hercules's and the Double Gate, The Triumphal Arch of Sergijevci in Pula.
The Basilica Euphrasiana in Porec is a valuable monument to
Byzantine culture with amazingly rich wall and floor mosaics.
Necropoli in the vicinity of Buzet, Motovun, Roc, Zminj and Dvigrad speak about the culture and presence of the Slavonian (Croatian) population which inhabited both the towns on the coast and the interior of the peninsula.
From the 10th century on, Istria was under a strong Glagolitic influence which is evident from the Plomin Glagolitic inscription (11th C), the Supetar fragments with Cyrillic possessions of the patriarch of Aquileia, the duke of Pazin and Venice.

Romanesque and Gothic art styles found their expression in wall painting and architecture. The frescoes of Svetvincento, Hum, Kanfa-nar and Drague have been preserved. The Gothic style bequeathed rich painting and architecture. Especially beautiful are the frescoes in the church of St Mary on Skriljinah in Beram signed by the master Vincent from Kastav (1475), then also in Lindar in the church of St Catherine, the parish church of St Nicholas in Pazin, in the church of St Rocco in Drague, in the chapel of the Holy Trinity and in the chapel of St Anthony in Zminj... Fine examples of Romanesque and Gothic building art are the Franciscan church in Pula, the Baroque style then developed in all church of St Anthony in Roc, St Eufields of art and life. This is evident in phemia (Fumija) in Gracisce. The both sacred and secular architecture.

The most beautiful sacral monuments are the facade of the parish church in Motovun, the churches in Vodnjan, Labin, Fazana, Pazin, Groznjan, Zminj, St Peter in the Wood...
One of the characteristics of Istran churches are the Baroque "golden altars", especially in Boljun and Plomin.
Examples of Baroque secular ar-chitecture are present in the town loggias in Motovun, Labin, Veprinc, the town fountain ("sterna") in Buzet, and beautiful family houses and palaces.
Classical art, with its high stylistic requirements, left few remains in Istria which was devastated and im-poverished at that time. Several family houses in Porec and the facade of the cathedral in Pula were built in the classical style, while the churches in Vizidan and Visnjan were renovated in the classic spirit.
Istria is an unique area where three different European cultures interwove: Roman, German, and Slavonic, leaving a deep influence on the culture of its living and artistic heritage.

The Istrian peninsula is specific in its ethnic and geographical characteristics. Agriculture has been an important way of life for many centuries, especially the cultivation of wheat, olives and grapes, but cattle breeding has also been significant.
Using the benefits of the sea and other advantages, the men of Istria built their compact settlements on the tops of hills, building the dwellings around a central square and the church. Their streets are narrow and meandering, and their closepacked houses lean one against another and have roofedover passages and outside staircases, preserving the spirit of the past until today.
All their houses were built in stone. "Kazuni", characteristic houses outside the towns are of round construction with domed roofs, and were built with drystone walling.
Folk handicrafts were produced in various materials, especially in wood and stone, while pottery was also produced.

The best known are the potters from Rakalj who made earthenware pots without decoration.
The beauty of the Istrian sea and land is woven into their folk costumes, dances and music. Many authors wrote about the "Istrian scale", i.e. the characteristics of Istrian folk music. Even today people sing traditional songs accompanied by the sounds of "sopele" and "roženice", and dance the Istrian dance "balun" in beautiful folk costumes of local cloth, silk ribbons and hand-made adornments. Old folk customs and traditions have been kept alive until today.
All those who wish to enjoy Istrian folk culture and characteristic Istrian music can attend some of the numerous folklore performances. Unforgettable are the carnival fes-tivities, the ox processions of "boškarini" in Kanfanar, the international folklore festival in Porec "Zlatna sopela" ("Golden Sopela"), "The Grape Feast" in Buje , "Marunada" - the days of the chestnuts in Lovran, and various fisherman's feasts.

The tradition of wine growing in Istria is very old. Its beginnings date even from the time of the ancient Greeks, while the first extensive vineyards were planted by the Romans in the 1sl century AD.
Today, there are four officially organised routes for tourists to visit vineyards and wine-cellars: 1 ) The wine route of Buje (23 winemakers producing: Malvazija, Muškat, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Suav, Teran, Merlot, and Refošk)
2) The wine route of Porec
(26 winemakers producing: Malvazija, Chardonnay, Muškat, Sivi Pinot, Bijeli Pinot, Teran, Muškat, Merlot, Refošk)
3) The wine road of Buzet
(15 winemakers producing: mostly Malvazija, Muškat, Teran, Refošk)
Novigrad, a town well integrated with
4) The wine route of Vodnjan (5 winemakers)
These wine routes in Istria have contributed to a new marketing ap-proach by Istrian winemakers (bottling wines, packaging, labelling, appropriate glasses for various wines, etc.) who have received numerous prizes and awards. There is a slogan: The men of Istria are good wine-growers - even better wine-makers.

The dishes of Istrian cuisine are special, recognisable and well sought after. Istria is a region "...full of olives, decorated with crops, rich in wine grapes...It is the larder of the royal town, a corner full of pleasure and delight..." The tradition of preparing local Istrian dishes with much vegetable and fruit and a lot of fish and meat has been carried on from generation to generation.
The real attractions of Istrian cuisine are the fragrant herbbrandy ("travarica"), local smoked ham, local sausages, excellent sheep's cheese as hors d'oeuvres. Connoisseurs will definitely enjoy "fuzine" with truffles, "posutice" with salted anchovies, "fritaje" with eggs and wild asparagus, "žgvancet" of home grown chicken, turkey prepared in the Pazin or Motovun way, and other delights of fish and meat. Sweet dishes "krostule" and "fritule", and the unique Istrian "supa" are worth tasting. Istrian wines are a special chapter: Kabernet and Pinot from Porec, Teran from Motovun, Borgonja from Umag, Malvazija from Poreč, which, according to legend, was brought by Greek seamen. It is said to have the scent of the carob tree, the colour of the sun and an unforgettable taste.

The vegetation of the Istrian peninsula has adapted itself well to the climatic conditions and characteristics of the terrain. The green Mediterranean vegetation predominates along the coast. Hundred years old woods of littoral pine cover big areas along the beaches, and there are tourist and sports attractions from Savudrija and Umag to Pula and Medulin. The 'maqis', consisting of holm-oak, arbutus and other plants, is mostly spread along the eastern Istrian coast. The middle areas of the peninsula are richer in deciduous woods of oak and sweet chestnut, gardens, orchards, vineyards and olive groves, some cultivated from an¬cient times. The Motovun wood in the valley of the Mirna river is full of oaks and ashtrees with some fertile corners where truffles are abundant. Tall woods of beech and oak cover large areas of the Ucka mountain.
The Istrian region is well populated with various animals, many vineyards; they are the pride of Istria birds, insects and spiders, while the sea is rich in fish, shell fish and oysters. Wild cats, wild boar, and deer inhabit the higher areas while the golden eagle flies over the mountains of Ucka and Cicarija.
The vegetative and animal world in Istria makes a natural whole with the landscape and environment. Animals and plants brought from other regions have also adapted themselves to their new climate and become a part of this vivid whole.