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Updated: 2009-12-03
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If you set forth out of Pazin by car, bike or on foot, you will find a diversified road and path network that leads to some hidden nooks of central Istria. It is an area out of the usual tourist drifts, away from crowd and stress, with hamlets cast about in a landscape and old small towns on tops of the hills. Who would say that there is such a treasure of fresco colours made by medieval masters in those small village churches, or such a fine vine poured in cellars; that even the underground hides so eye-pleasant secrets. Discover them, and be a guest in our village households.
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ALEJA GLAGOLJAŠA (GLAGOLITIC ALLEY)
 | ALEJA GLAGOLJAŠA (GLAGOLITIC ALLEY) - a 7 km long memorial to an old Croatian alphabet - Glagolitic alphabet. It spreads along the road that leads from the bottom of Roc to Hum (www.hum.hr). |
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BELAJ
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BELAJ - a castle with an arcade courtyard from the 17th century, an ownership of the Barbo, and then the Auersperg family. In the courtyard, there is a collection of stone fragments from the ancient church of St.Mary on the Cepic Lake. There is also a Martin Matijevics (grand -duke of Kožljak ) gravestone with a Glagolitic epitaph from 1492. | |
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BERAM
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BERAM - a small town on a wooded hill 5 km north-west from Pazin, near the road Pazin - Porec. It developed in a place where once was a prehistoric Illyrian fortified settlement. There are many archaeological finds from that period, with the richest among them - 172 urns found next to the Iliric necropolis. The parish church was first mentioned in 1177. In the Middle ages, Beram was fortified with walls and a rectangular tower, the remains of which are still preserved. The structure of streets that radiate from the main square down the hill is also preserved. Beram is world known for its frescoes, which can be seen in the church of St. Martin, and in the little church of St. Mary of the Slate Floor. Visits are possible daily. Ask for the key in houses No. 33 or 22 (Gortan family).
Walking path Pazin - Beram - Dušani - Pazin | |
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BOLJUN
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CEROVLJE
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CEROVLJE - the church of Assumption of the Virgin; the church of the Holy Trinity on the hill outside the village. Fishing area is away from the village. Typical pub.
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DRAGUĆ
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DRAGUĆ - a picturesque medieval small town from the 12th century; the burial church of St.Eliseus with 13th century frescoes and the altar with 2nd or 3rd century roman gravestone built in; the church of St. Rochus from the 14th century with frescoes made by Antonio from Padua and Glagolitic graffiti; the parochial church of the Holy Cross at the main square; the church of the Holy Virgin of the Rosary with a small collection of sacral art on the main street; a typical pub; a panorama; accommodation; typical pub...>>>
PHOTO gallery | |
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GRAČIŠĆE
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GRAČIŠĆE - a medieval small town; the parochial church of St. Vitus; a Gothic chapel; the church of St. Mary (frescoes); the church of Sta. Eufemia(a Romanesque crucifixion); a typical pub; a belvedere, a circular hiking trail of St. Simon 11.5 km long and marked with hiking signs. >>>
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GRDOSELO
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GRDOSELO - the parochial church of St. Mary of the Health; there are remains of the old medieval town Zelengrad north of the village. There is a marked hiking trail leading to it. A Glagolitic inscription from the 12th century was found in the remains of the church of St. Anne (The Grdoselo Fragment).
Hiking route Pazin - Grdoselo - Zelengrad | |
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GRIMALDA
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GRIMALDA - The romanesque church of St. George in the place of the former prehistoric settlement. The place is almost without habitants today. There is one of the most beautiful belvederes in central Istria .
Accommodation | |
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HUM
| | HUM - well preserved core of "the smallest town in the world"; the parochial church of St. Peter and Paul; the town loggia on the central square; the church of St. Jerome with frescoes and Glagolitic graffiti (on the cemetery out of town); walls and town gate are preserved; a typical pub; a gallery; possibility of accommodation
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THE BUTONIGA LAKE
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THE BUTONIGA LAKE - an artificial lake made in 1988. It serves as a water supply for the larger part of Istria. Swimming and fishing are not allowed there, except at the beginning of December, when an international competition in fresh-water fishing is held there.
The Winter Cup of Pazin
Accommodation | |
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JEŽENJ
| | JEŽENJ - bishop Juraj Dobrila"s birth place. |
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KAROJBA
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KAROJBA - a small town and a parish between Pazin and Motovun, first mentioned in 1258. The parochial church of All Saints is from the end of the 16th century; the church of St. Andrew from the 13th century, which is at the cemetery, has 8th century fragments built in; archaeological finds are exposed in Motovun stone fragment collection (lapidarium). A permanent exhibition named Development of Electrical Distribution in Istria can be seen in the local sub-station, group visits must be announced in advance on tel. 622-460; possibility of accommodation in rural households (agrotourism). | |
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KAŠĆERGA
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KAŠĆERGA - the parish church of St. Mark, the church of the Virgin of the Snow; the beautiful view at the Butoniga Lake. | |
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MUNTRILJ
| The third largest settlement of the Minicipality Tinjan, situated five kilometres northwest of Tinjan. Unlike Tinjan and Kringa, Muntrilj was part of Venetian territory during the Middle Ages and was, due to its closeness to the Pazin county, often a destruction target and the place of repeated population. St. Roch's church dates back to XVII century, and its preserved documents testify the use of old Croatian script- Glagolitic script up to the XIX century. |
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KRINGA
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KRŠIKLA
| | KRŠIKLA - - the curacy church of St.Cusma and Damianus with a glagolitic gravestone; the remains of an old church; the church of St. John and Paul north of the place; a panorama. |
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KOTLE
| KOTLE - a picturesque village close to Hum, where life is returning slowly after the complete desolation; the remains of water mills; cascades; a pub.
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LINDAR
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LINDAR - has been mentioned since 1283 when bishop Bonifacius consigned some mill under Lindar to the care of Pazin County. The remains of two semicircular towers and medieval walls can still be seen; the parochial church of St. Mohor and Fortunat (a glagolitic inscription from 1607) with separated campanile built in 1906; a smaller belvedere next to the church with the remains of a canon from Napoleonic times that was brought here to announce the completion of the campanile; in the church of St. Catherine there is |
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a "Live Cross" fresco from 1409 (a glagolitic inscription); in the centre of the place, there is a small church St. Martin from the 16th century with a very valuable glagolitic epitaph on priest Matušić"s gravestone from 1588; you can also find a few very well preserved examples of traditional architecture in Lindar; a belvedere.
accomodation
PHOTO gallery
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LIVADE
| A small town in the valley of the River Mirna, at the edge of the Motovun Forest, the best known location for truffles in Istria. Today Livade is a centre for gathering and distributing this expensive mushroom, which grows underground. A Truffle Festival is held here every year in October and, of course, truffles have a prominent place on the menus of local restaurants and konobas..
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| LUPOGLAV
| LUPOGLAV -a typical pub; the "Mahrenfels" bulwark ruins; the starting point for hiking to Žbevnica (the most western peak over 1000m high in Croatia); possibility of
accommodation. |
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MOTOVUN
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MOTOVUN - a medieval small town on a top of the sheer hill that dominates the river Mirna valley; a well preserved town core surrounded by a circumvallation; streets from three sides meet at the outer square; there is a water cistern under the main square; the parish church of St.Stephen with a valuable inventory; the church of the Holy Virgin (dei Servi); the church of St. John the Baptist; the church of the Holy Virgin of the Gate; the church of the Birth of the Virgin; there is an Art gallery with contemporary artists works in town; a collection of old arms; a hotel; restaurants; galleries. MOTOVUN FILM FESTIVAL | |
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OPRTALJ
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A picturesque town, rich in history and Venetian style urban architecture: medieval town walls, a loggia, old town gates. It has retained its medieval layout of narrow streets, squares, porticos and covered passages. Sights include the late-Gothic triple-nave parish Church of St. George with its separate bell-tower and its organ by Gaetano Callido, the Church of St. Rochus with frescoes by Antun of Padova,and the Church of St. Mary with frescoes by the Colourful Master. The town is also the head of the Municipality of Oprtalj. >>> more | |
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PAZ
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PAZ - the remains of a medieval castle owned by the Waldersteins; the parish church of the Holy Virgin, the cemetery church of St. Vitus with frescoes, Renaissance sarcophagus and Glagolitic graffiti; a belvedere. | |
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PAZIN
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PAZIN - the centre of the District of Istria, situated above the cave of Pazinčica; the settlement first developed around the castle above the cave, which is a unique natural monument; the Museum of Pazin and the Ethnographic Museum of Istria are placed in the castle; the parish church of St. Nicholas with valuable late Gothic frescoes; the Franciscan monastery and the adjoining church of the Holy Virgin; the National Archives is one of the richest in Croatia and it is placed in a building where once was the first grammar school in Istria with classes in Croatian formed in 1899; a hotel; private accommodation, a tourist office - information.
PHOTO gallery
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PIĆAN
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PIĆAN - an Ancient Roman military base; a bishop"s residence from 5th to 18th century; town gate preserved; the church of Annunciation of the Virgin with a treasury; the Romanesque small church of St. Michael with frescoes and Glagolitic graffiti at the cemetery; a belvedere;it is a birth place of Matko Brajša Rašan who was the composer of the Istrian anthem.
accomodation | |
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RAČICE
| RAČICE - the parochial church of the Holy Trinity; the Walderstein castle; the chapel of St. Mary with a wooden gothic statue of the enthroned Madonna with the Child; the church of St.Stephen with an altar.
http://www.reprezent.hr/racice.shtml
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Centre of Istria
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Many have tried to pinpoint the exact centre of Istria.Some say it is located on Orljak Hill near Beram, while others believe it is at Ježenjski križ. In the period between the two world wars, there was even a large stone on Cesarovac Hill not far from the village of Matići marking the centre of Istria. In 2002 by determining the centre of the triangle connecting the three furthest points of the peninsula of Istria, modern technology helped to place the centre of Istria near the village of Trošti. A region of untouched nature, it is crisscrossed with meadows and hayfields, oak woods and pine woods, dry-stone walls and karst valleys. The easiest way to reach it is by taking the Pazin – Žminj road and following the road signs to Trošti from where signposts lead to the centre of Istria. | |
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SV. PETAR U ŠUMI
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SV. PETAR U ŠUMI - the church of St. Peter and Paul with well preserved Baroque inventory ( the leather gilded Baroque wallpapers with floral decorations are Venetian and very rare) ; the church is a part of former Benedictine and today the Paulist monastery founded in 13th century; possibility of accommodation and farm restaurant. | |
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ŠUMBER
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ŠUMBER - the remains of a medieval castle in the centre of the place; the parochial church of St. John and Paul from 1672; the church of St. Quirinus with a Glagolitic inscription from 1540; possibility of accommodation | |
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TINJAN
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TINJAN - the parochial church of St. Simon and Judas from 1773, with an interesting facade. The medieval architectural and street structure is still preserved in the centre; the small church of the Holy Cross with a bell-tower of a local Renaissance/Baroque type, in the centre of the place there is an arranged belvedere with a panorama of Draga - the valley that spreads from Beram to the Bay of Lim and is actually a former bed of the river that now falls into the Cave of Pazin; the district-prefect table made of stone with 10 stone chairs and a hole in the centre made for a flee. It was put in and it decided who would be the new prefect by jumping towards him; a typical pub.
Wine route in Muntrilj (4km) and Kvešti (8km) PHOTO gallery | |
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TRVIŽ
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TRVIŽ - used to be a border between Venetian Istria and The County of Pazin; mentioned for the first time in 1177; the parochial church of the Holy Virgin of the Rosary built by the end of the 19th century; the old parochial church of St. Peter and Paul, rebuilt many times, the oldest parts originate from 12th or 13th century with fresco fragments, painted wooden ceiling, the Glagolitic inscription from 1553, the Baroque altar, the Crucifixion from the second half of the 15th century.
Typical tavern | |
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VRH
| | VRH - the parochial church of the Assumption of the Virgin with Glagolitic text; the church of St. Anthony the Abbot; many houses with Baroque portals in the village; the ruins of the church of St. Cyriacus about 1 km on the south; a typical pub; a belvedere |
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ZAREČJE
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ZAMASK
| ZAMASK - it has been mentioned since 1177; an Austrian -Venetian border used to pass across the village; there is a Glagolitic inscription from 1576 on the north wall of St. Michael"s church; there is also the church of St. Mary Magdalene with 15th century and Glagolitic graffiti under Zamask; a beautiful view to Motovun and the whole central Istria. Wine cellar , accomodation
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ŽMINJ
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ŽMINJ - medieval bulwarks and towers are mostly fitted into the walls of the houses and gardens; the great parochial church of St. Michael dominates the square and the whole place and has very valuable inventory; there are also the Gothic chapel of the Holy Trinity with frescoes and the church of St. Anthony the Abbot with Venetian fresco fragments; restaurants. | |
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