City of Poreč, almost 2.000 years old, is located in a harbor protected from the sea by an islet Sv. Nikola. Due to its extraordinary geographical position, today it is one of the strongest tourist centres in Croatia. The city of beautiful cultural and historical sites, exemplar horticultural decoration, diverse accommodations and rich restauranteur and tourist offer, especially sports and recreational, is the most common target of European tourists in Croatia.
16.696 inhabitants, 139 sq. km
Poreč is the second largest Istrian city in number of inhabitants, according to 2011 Census it has 16.696. The city of Poreč covers the area of 139 square kilometres.
Poreč developed on a small symmetrical peninsula long before the arrival of the Histrians, an Illyrian tribe. Today the centre of the old city is located on this small peninsula. With the arrival of the Histrians the area surrounding the present-day city was settled, and thanks to a naturally protected harbour the construction of a harbour-centre was enabled and Poreč could develop unhindered. Preserved records by Ancient Greek historians and geographers from the 6th and 4th centuries BC mention a small fishing village, and archaeological findings tell us of the homes of the people of the time.
A Roman settlement was constructed around the 2nd century BC which, with the natural harbour, developed into a military fort over time. The silhouette of a city is visible in the geometrically symmetrical placement of the streets. The City of Poreč has preserved this appearance with the main streets Cardo Maximus and Decumanus as well as the centrally located Forum. Poreč was granted city or municipio status, during the first half of the 1st century and was granted the name Colonia Iulia Parentium.
During Roman rule in the area of Poreč, in the 3rd century the first bishop of Poreč, Bishop Mavar, was a victim of one of the Christian persecutions. After a cruel martyr’s death the Bishop was declared a saint and the City’s patron.
Since then and until the present day Poreč has maintained its status as a diocese. In the 4th century an early Christian cathedral was built at the place where Bishop Mavar suffered his martyrdom. One hundred years later it was renovated and in the 6th century Bishop Euphrasius ordered the construction of a basilica – this basilica is today considered a famous building and is a true architectural treasure. Since 1998 it has been an UNESCO protected site.
Slavs settled in Istria, Poreč and its surrounding area in the 7th century. Poreč had a city-government as early as the 12th century and the first City Statute dates from around the year 1250. The longest ruler in Poreč was the Venetian Republic which ruled for about five hundred years. With the fall of Venice Poreč came under Austrian rule, and quickly after in 1805 came under French administration after Napoleon’s conquest. From 1815 to 1918 Poreč came under Austrian rule once more. The City’s reputation grew when the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy declared Poreč the capital city of Istria and made it the seat of the regional government and the location of the Istrian Parliament.
Up until the middle of the 20th century a number of governments, monarchs and states changed hands. The area of Poreč was ruled by Ostrogoths, was the seat of Frankish rule, Aquileian Patriarchs, the Venetian Republic, Austria, Napoleon’s Illyrians and the Kingdom of Italy. In 1943 Poreč and the rest of Istria were joined to Croatia, a constituent state of Yugoslavia which in 1990 became an independent state.
Baredine Cave
Meet the mystical world of nature which has been developing for thousands of years, far away from the light of the day and the human eye. Visit the underworld the Baredine Cave. This cave is a treasure chest of stalagmites and stalactites, underworld sculptures created through time by the patient work of water. Such shapes have been created, some of which are exceptional, such as the 10-meter long and high curtains, a very realistic sculpture of Our Lady, the body of a milkmaid called Milka, the leaning tower of Pisa and snowman the torchbearer who has become the trademark of our cave.
An interesting detail of this adventurous trip is also the encounter with the underground world of animals: visitors will see the cave olm (Proteus anguinus), endemic of the Dinaric karst area.
Funtana-Fontane
From Zelena laguna (Green Lagoon) in the west to Valkanela Bay on the south, what you will see in front of you is the most indented part of the Istrian peninsula…
This is a bird’s eye view of Funtana, a place that grew up over water springs where Nature has choreographed of one of the most playful scenes of the Istrian landscape. If you take just a quick glimpse of the earth from which this lovely place arose, a green oasis of rare beauty will appear to you, framed by the blue Adriatic, whose regular rectangular division of green fields of the hinterland is the work of an ancient orthogonal system of the Roman centuries.
Welcome to the picturesque fishermen’s town that breaths a special charm and the beauty of life at every step. Tailor-made for the common man with one stone palace and a church with a bell tower circled by rows of quiet stony little streets, this place completely and proudly has been a part of the Mediterranean since antiquity. What you have in front of you are tranquil hours of peace and joy at the sources of friendship.
Tar-Vabriga
Originally two settlements, today Tar-Torre and Vabriga-Abrega are joined into one town separated by the main road connecting Poreč and Novigrad-Cittanova. This is a fertile plateau at a height of 112 meters above sea level, which on one side slopes towards the sea and on the other towards the mouth of the Mirna River. This region is famed for its exceptional olive oil. FAO experts have declared that the finest olive oil in Europe comes from these very parts, from Larun olive groves below Tar-Torre.
Kaštelir – Labinci (Castellier – S.Domenica)
On the western coast of Istria, surrounded by rich Mediterranean vegetation blended with olive groves, vineyards and fields, you can find the Kaštelir-Labinci Municipality. Two villages – Kaštelir and Labinci, ital. Castelier – S. Domenica, have been gradually urbanistically expanding during the centuries which resulted in their being merged into one municipality located some ten kilometers north of Poreč. According to historical records, Labinci was once a bigger settlement than Kaštelir, whereas today it is the other way around, which is also visible from the name.
A legend says that the inhabitants of Labinci used to go to Motovun-Montona on horseback every Sunday to pick up a priest to have him serve Sunday mass in their church. On their way back to Motovun-Montona they would, as compensation, clean up the Motovun-Montona Square. During the history both villages used to be under the jurisdiction of Motovun-Montona and later Vižinada-Visinada. Today, numerous showrooms can be found in their suburbs which came to represent a modern industrial zone which will soon include even a prestigious culinary school.
Vižinada