General information about Istria
In the lap of Europe spreads one of the most developed touristic region, the nearest to the West Europe. The biggest peninsula in the Adriatic, the geographic intersection of Alpine – Central Europe and Dinaric – Mediterranean regions. With its wooded mountain Učka(1,396m), hills and pitoresque small towns, the landscape is compared to the ones of Italian Toscana or French Provence.
History and culture
Altrough it has a lot of differences and wellknown touristic centres, it should be considered in its entireness with autochtonic and well perserved gentle hinterland. The Roman amphiteatre and the Trimphal arch of victory are in the perfect harmony with the medieval basilicas and frescos, and the small towns built up in stone are standing shoulder to shoulder with the modern touristic centres which give the wide range of services to content even the most demanding guest.
This is Istria. The navel of Europe. A coffer full of secrets, wisdom and the essence of the Old Continent. What about the key? You have it inside, you can comprehend Istria with your soul, your essence is hiding here. Immerse into this miniature planet and you will discover beauty and the truth about yourself. Stone ruins, the seven thousand year –old home of ancestors, are visible on the nearby hills. In the numerous towns you can gaze at 2,000 years of history, you can scratch it with your nails: Roman amphiteatre, triumphal arches, villas, Byzantine basilicas covered with gold mosaics, medieval towers and town walls, large and tiny churches, Romanesque buildings, luxorious Gothic and Baroque palaces, Austro Hungarian fortifications ...
As if all European history has been sublimated in this region: Histri, Romans, Byzantium, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Franks, Venice, Napoleon, Austria-Hungary. Every century and every ivader engraved, destroyed and rebuilt a certian trait, certian feature, sanctuary, shrine, road a certian seal of his age. Istria is the homeland of olives, figs, almonds and grapes, the homeland of innumerable little wonders. Istria is a park of luxuriously decorated with nature: fertile valleys, fields stretching as a far as the sea, the mountain of Učka, more than 1,000 meters high, brooks, waterfalls, rocks and sand, all together in this small region.
A road may take You to a tiny church covered with multicoloured frescoes and decorated with wooden statues of saints made by local craftsmen. Istrians worship Jesus from Nazareth , because one is closer to God and religion in this little church than in a magnificent cathedral. You will find another local feature in these churches. An unusual , unknowen script, neither Latin nor Cyrillic but the Glagolitic script. This ancient Croatian script, which existed only in this part of the world, was used throughout the centuries.
The second road leads you to plain inn or tawern where the wine is considered to be the gift of gods. A modest , but delicious dish will be offered on a tray or on crockery. Another miracle – a truffle, a divine gastronomic speciality, an aphrodisiac, tuber-mushroom which grows under the ground. The third road will lead you to a village party, church or lay celebration: the ancient "balun dance" on the square, archaic instruments – rozenice, mih and duplice, and two – parth harsh song. Red-hot sun immerses into the sea . The Istrian night is beckoning you...
What is underlinedby the fact that Istria is crossed by the 45th parallel? It means that Istria is situated exactly halfway down between the Equator and the North Pole, in the most attractive climatic area of the Northern hemisphere. Idyllic ans symbolic, the 45th gradient of the north latitude speaks for itself about the area of almost eternal spring: the annual mean temperature in Istria is 14°C . This is a peninsula of mild winters, pleasent summers and Mediterranean vegetation.
Identity card of Istria
Location: the westernmost Country of the Republic of Croatia, the largest peninsula of the Adriatic
Area: 2,820 km2
Population: 200,000
Coast lenght: 445,1 km(well-indented coast is twice as long as the road one). The western coast of Istria is 242,5 km long, with islands 327,5 km (178,1M). The eastern coast of Istria is 202,6km long, with the pertainig islands 212,4 km (114,5M).
Climate:mild, Mediterranean climate (warm and dry summers, mild and plesant winters). Characteristic winds are Ťburať (wind blowing from the north on the south, bringing clear weather), jugo (south, warm wind bringing rain) and Ťmaestralť (summer breeze blowing from the land to the sea).
|
Month |
Max.daily temp. |
Min.nocturnal temp. |
Rining days |
Temp. of the sea |
|
April |
16 |
9 |
7 |
13 |
|
May |
21 |
12 |
9 |
17 |
|
June |
25 |
16 |
6 |
21 |
|
July |
27 |
18 |
5 |
23 |
|
August |
27 |
18 |
5 |
24 |
|
September |
24 |
15 |
6 |
22 |
|
October |
19 |
10 |
9 |
18 |
Administrative centre: Pazin , 9 000 inhabitants
Economic centre: Pula , 82 000 inhabitants
Fairs calendar
PAZIN: first Tuesday in the month
ZMINJ: each second Wedensday in the month
VODNJAN: first Saturday in the month
MOTOVUN: third Monday in the month
SVETVINCENAT: third Saturday in the month
VISNJAN:last Thursday in the month
Museums in Istria
UMAG
Town museum, trg Sv.Martina bb, tel . 741-440
Open: 10.00 am - 12,00 am and 07,00 pm - 10,00 pm, Monday closed
BUJE
Ethnographic collection, trg slobode 4 , tel.772-023
POREC
Regional museum, Dekumanova 9 , tel.431-585,tel. / fax:452-738
Open: 9,00 am - 12,00 am and 04,00 pm - 06,00 pm
ROVINJ
Local museum of Rovinj, Trg m.Tita 11,tel.816-720,fax830-650 , e-mail :muzej-rovinj@pu.tel.hr
Open: 10,30 am - 02,00 pm Sunday closed
PULA
Archeological museum of Istria, Carrarina 3,tel.218-603 , fax.:212-415
Open: 9,00 am - 08,00 pm, on Sunday 10,00 am - 03,00 pm
Colletion of the medieval art, Istarskog konzula 1 , tel.34-629
Amphitheatre , Flavijevska bb , tel.34-604
Open : 8,00 am - 09,00 pm
Temple of Augustus,Forum , open 10,00 am - 08,00 p.m
Historical museum of Istria , Kaątel , Gradinski uspon 6,tel.211-740 , 211-566
Open : 9,00 am - 07,00 pm
NP Brioni , Archeological museum , tel.525-883
Nesactiuim – Valtura
VODNJAN
Sacral art collection / Saints corpes, Crkva Sv.Blaľa , Zagrebački trg , tel./fax:511-420
LABIN
National museum of Labin , 1.maja 6 , tel.885-477 , fax:855-026
Open : from June to Settember 10,00 am - 01,00 pm
PAZIN
Etnographic museum of Istria, Istarskog razvoda 1 , tel./fax:624-351 i tel.622-220
Open :from June to Oktober 10,00 am - 05,00 pm on Suterday , on Sunday 10,00 am - 01,00 pm
BUZET
Local museum of Buzet , Trg raąporskih kapetana 1 , tel.662-792 , fax : 662-836
Open : every day 9,00 a.m - 01,00 pm , on Thursday - 04,00 pm - 06,00 pm (Saturday and Sunday closed)
Unique play of nature
BRIJUNI ISLANS – national park As the only park on the Istrian Peninsula , Brijuni with their 14 islands covering an area of 736 hectares are the most interesting and indented group of islands in Istria . The abundance of flora originating from the very beginning of the 20th century , with its forms creates a unique green landscape which is the habitat of numerous bird species , deer , muflon and other large game .
CAPE KAMENJAK and the Medulin islands – protected landscape The unusually indented southernmost cape of the Istrian Peninsula is equally interesting viewed from land , air or sea . It is one of coastal region that has preserved its original appereance – a mosaic of cultivated fields , pastures and green groves immersed in the deep blue sea . Resembling at first glance scorched land of the southernmost tip of Istria , Cape Kamenjak conceals grat secrets of nature . Owing to the habitat of certianbird species ,Cape Kamenjak has been proclaimed a protected landscape.
PAZIN ABYSS Unique natural phenomenon : through the large opening of the cave beneath the huge cliffe with the medieval castle , the Pazincica stream flows underground .
GRACISCE – PICAN-protected landscape Situated on hilltops , these two medieval towns offer a unique panorama of the valley from which Učka – the highest Istrian mountain rises . The diversity of marl and limestone base has created a phenomenon of unusually indented relief where stream valleys were formed in marly soil.
BAREDINE CAVE Baredine Cave is presently the only touristically valued geomorphological nature sight in Istria .This cave ,132 m deep with 5 chambers ans siphon lake is rich in stalactites and stalagmites of unusual forms . The underground animal world is just as interesting , apart from the proteus anguinus one finds here miniature trasparent crayfish and insects .
ZLATNI RT (PUNTA CORRENTE) – forest park On the southern side of the town of Rovinj lies the first protected forest park in Istria , about 100 years old . It is one of the most significant park complexes in the coastal region , of great aesthetic and botanical importance . Numerous meadows are divided by lines of various specially worth mentioning.
LIM BAY Lim Bay is a flooded karst valley . Its narrow , yet long (11km)inlet represents one of the most beautiful landscapes in Istria . It is a geomorphological phenomenon with overgrown canyon cliffs rising up to 150 m above sea level
Istria superlative
Istria is the largest peninsula on the Adriatic Coast
Istria is the westernmost region of Croatia
Istria is Central Europe's closest Mediterranean
The 45 th parallel of north latitude runs through Istria , which means that the Istrian Peninsula is right in the middle of the Norther Hemisphere , exactly halfway between the equator and the North Pole
The highest mountain in Istria is Ucka (1,396m)
The longest river is the Mirna (32 km)
Istria has an incredible number of 636 towns and villages with a population of almost 200,000
The largest town in Istria is Pula (82,000)
Hum is the smallest town in the world .
The southernmost town in Istria is Premantura
The largest lighthouse in Istria is in Savudrija with a height of 36 m
The largest naturist center in both Istria and Europe is Konversada near Vrsar ,with a daily capacity of 12,000 tourists
The largest animal in Istria is the Istrian ox measuring 1,8m height and weighing over 1,200 kg
Gastronomy
Typical food
Istrian smoked ham , sheep-milk cheese , truffles
Maneątra (vegetable stew)
Home –made pasta : Ťfuziť , gnocchi , lasagna , macaroni , withz game stew
Meat dishes : home-made sausages , smoked fillet with sauerkraut
Seafood dishes : pilchard marinade , stew made of fish , sea-shells , crabs or squids
Fish : gold fish , base , grooper , sea – bream...
Salads : made of crabs , octopus , musk octopus...
Sea-shells : oysters , scallops , dondole , mussels...
Sweets : Ťkroątuleť , Ťfrituleť, Ťpoveticať , Ťcukeranciciť.
Typical wines
Malvazija –white wine
Teran - red wine
Borgonja - red wine
Hrvatica - rosé
Fine wines
Pinot – white and gray
Chardonnay - white wine
Cabernet - red wine
Merlot - red wine
Muškat - white wine
Aperitifs and digestives
Home made brandy – with aromatic herbs
Biska - special brandy (Roc , Hum)
Komovica - special brandy