Istria County

Istria County(/ˈɪstriə/;Croatian:Istarskažupanija;Italian:Regione istriana,lit."Istrian Region") is the westernmostcountyofCroatiawhich includes the majority of theIstrianpeninsula.
Administrative centers in the county arePazin,PulaandPoreč.Istria County has the largestItalian-speaking population in Croatia. It bordersSlovenia.
The caves near Pula (in latiniumPietas Julia),Lim bay,Šandalja, andRoumald's cave, houseStone Agearchaeological remains. Less ancientStone Agesites, from the period between 6000 and 2000 BC can also be found in the area. More than 400 locations are classified asBronze Age(1800–1000 BC) items. Numerous findings includingweapons,tools, andjewelry) which are from the earlieriron eraaround the beginning ofcommon era.
The Istrian peninsula was known toRomansas theterra magica. Its name is derived from theHistri, anIllyrian tribewho as accounted by the geographerStrabolived in the region. Romans described them aspirateswho were hard to conquer due to the difficulty of navigating the territory. After two military campaigns, Roman legions finally subdued them in 177 BC.
With thefall of the Western Roman Empirein 476, Istria was conquered by theGothsand then by theByzantines. During Byzantine rule, it was shortly ruled by Avars. Istria was annexed by theLombardsin 751, by theAvarsin 774, by theFranksduring the reign ofCharlemagnein 789, and successively controlled by various dukes, (Carinthia,Merano,Bavaria). Later it was run by the patriarchs ofAquileia.
In 1267 theRepublic of Veniceannexed the western and southern coast of the Istrian peninsula because of the strong presence of the autochthonous Italian community; during this period the region prospered. The major Istrian cities were reborn under Venetian government; it was in this half millennium that they developed architecturally and culturally.The eastern half of Istria was administered by the Habsburgs, and was referred to as "Imperial Istria" with its capital at Pisino (German: Mitterburg).
In 1797, with theTreaty of Campo Formiowritten byNapoleon, the peninsula with the whole Republic of Venice passed to theHabsburgsof Austria. TheTreaty of Pressburgin 1805 handed Istria to the Kingdom of Italy. TheTreaty of Schönbrunnin 1809 transferred Istria to France. In 1815, theCongress of Viennaconfirmed Austria's possession on the NorthernAdriatic Seaalong withIstria. Regional guvernative units were formed inGorizia(Gorizia county),Trieste(Istrian area), andRijeka(Pazin countyandKvarner Gulf). From 1849 they were united inAustrian Littoral. The free port of Trieste presented an individual guvernative unit outside of other guvernative areas.
Starting in 1861 until 1918/1920 the seat to a regionalParliamentin theAustro-Hungarian Empirewas in Parenzo (today: Poreč).
After World War I, according to the peace treaty ofRapalloIstria became part of Italy in 1920.Fascismand laterNazioccupation spoiled otherwise tolerant ethnic relations in the area. AfterWorld War IIIstria was assigned toYugoslaviaand many ethnicItalians(Istrian Italians) left in theIstrian–Dalmatian exodus. With thecollapse of Communist YugoslaviaIstria became part of an independent Croatia and the region saw no fighting in theensuing war. Today it is one of the most economically developed parts of Croatia. Currently, some people ask for a higher degree of autonomy for the county. This is part of theIstrian regionalist movement.
Personalities likeRobert Kochand writerJames Joycelived and worked in Istria. WriterJules Vernewas inspired to write his novelMathias Sandorfafter hearing of thequarryandcavein Pazin and the poetDante Alighierivisited and wrote a few lines about Istria. Racing driversMario AndrettiandAldo Andrettiwere born inMontonain Istria.
Its coastline is 445 km (277 mi) long with islands making up 539.9 km (335 mi). A smaller part of Istria also belongs to thePrimorje-Gorski Kotar Countyof Croatia. Mirroring the bay ofVeniceacross theAdriaticand theQuarnaro Gulf, the region is not far from theJulian Alps. The westernmost point is atSavudrijawhile the southernmost is nearPremantura, on the localpromontoryof Kamenjak.
The terrain consists of alimestoneplateaumuch of which lacks water owing to itskarst topography. The northeastern section is an extension of theDinaric Alps. The highest point isVojakonUčkamountain1,401 m (4,596.46 ft)above sea leveland there is another range of mountains, theĆićarija.
There are so called "bijela", "siva", and "crvena" Istra (white, grey and red Istria). White Istria is around the mountain peaks, Grey Istria is the fertile inner lands while Red Istria is the blood-red painted lands ofterra rossaor "crljenica" near the coastline.
Sites such as theGrotto of Baredinenear Poreč, the underground riverPazinčica, and thekarstPazin pit(Pazinska jama) nearPazinare geologic attractions. TheLimski Kanalis the only structure resembling afjordin continental Europe outside ofScandinavia(though actually it is not a fjord, but aria). ThequarrynearRovinjhas been designed for studying geology. The longest river, theMirnais only 32 km (20 mi) long and its mouth is nearNovigrad. Other rivers that pass through Istria include theDragonja Riverand theRaša River.
The continental plains and valleys are primarily utilized for agriculture, such as growing cereals and vegetables. Closer to the sea, red lands are used for cultivation ofgrapes,vine, olives, andfigs. Agriculture and the production of ecological food, theolivegardens, and the production of quality wines is the focus of Istria'sagriculture sector. The coastline and nearby islands are rich in themaquis shrubland(mostlyholm oakandstrawberry tree). Woods, mostlyoakandpinetrees, cover a third of the territory.
TheBrijuninational parkand theUčkanature parkare well-known natural reservations and legally protected landscapes. This mountain range feeds the rivers and lakes from eastern Istria to the Raša river in theLabinštinapeninsula. Other interesting localities areLim Bay, the wood nearMotovun, park woodsZlatni RtandŠijananear Pula, the protected landscape ofKamenjakin the extreme south of Istria, and the reservation Palud with anornithologynearRovinj. The Brijuniarchipelagois an interesting habitat of about 680 plant species and also decorated by the most diverse vegetation and olive groves.
Protected from the north by the mountain chain ofAlpsas well the inner highland, theclimateisborderline Mediterraneanandhumid subtropicalwith wetter winters and drier summers, but not completely dry. Overall a very pleasant climate with the highestair temperatureaveraging 24 °C during August, and the lowest air temperature averaging 5 °C in January. Summers are usually warm during the day and cooler near the evening, although strange heat wave patterns are common. The weather ranges from humid to dry with over 10 hours of sunshine daily. Primarily, there is a lot of moisture in the air especially in the coastal towns of Istra such as Poreč, Vrsar, Rovinj, Pula, and others. Temperatures above 10 °C last for more than 240 days a year. Excessive heat (above 30 °C) lasts for three weeks at the most. Despite air temperatures being lower than those inDalmatia, theAdriatic Seais warmer reaching up to 26 °C in August, coldest in March, (9-11 °C), while the freezing even in small, shallow bays is quite rare. There are two kinds of winds - theborais bringing cold and clear weather from the north in winters, and the southernjugobringing rain in summer. Themaestralis a summer breeze blowing from the inland to the sea. Thesalinityof the sea water is 0.37%.
According to the 2021 census the total population of Istria County is 195,794 which amounts to approxmiately 4.8% of Croatia's entire population. The county's population density is approximately 70 inhabitants per kmwith an average age of 45 years.
Istria county is administratively subdivided into 41 local units of government - 10 of these are officially designated as cities/towns and 31 are largely rural municipalities. More than 70 percent of the county's population lives in these ten urban areas:
There are also 31 municipalities:
Besides official Croatian, theChakavian dialectofCroatianis often in use, as in most coastal counties.Italianis also recognized in the county as an official language.
In 2021 the population was 195,237 and the main ethnic groups were as follows:
Before World War I and until World War II, Istria contained a large autochthonous Romance language speaking community consisting ofVenetian dialects,IstriotandIstro-Romanianalong withItalian, plus various localSlavic dialects, some of which were likewise unique to Istria. Today, apart from thelocal dialectsand officialCroatian, one still finds in this region a small community of people, theIstro-Romanians, who speakIstro-Romanian, closely related toRomanian, other districts whereVenetian dialectsandIstriotare still spoken.
Due to its traditional bond with Europe and its level of international integration, in 1994 Istria County was the first Croatian region to become a member of theAssembly of European Regions.
Istria is well connected with the rest of Croatia and Europe. Due to its connection with a wider European area, road development suitably covers all needs and contributes to a balanced development of the coastal area and the Istrian interior.
Initially, the need forrailroadsin Istria was based upon fast development of industrial activities;shipbuilding, construction material, machine and electric industries, as well as Austrian military interests. AfterViennaandTriestewere connected in 1876, the railway betweenDivača, (in today'sSlovenia) and Pula, (122 km (76 mi) long with 21 km (13 mi) long branchKanfanar- Rovinj), was opened. Despite numerous initiatives, the western parts of Istria have been connected with the railroad only in 1902, with construction of theParenzananarrow-gauge railway. The 123.1 km (76 mi) long railway, was dismantled in 1935. To this day, Istria County's rail connections are only towardsSlovenia, and despite the fact that some plans to build railroad tunnel throughUčkamountain date from decades ago,there are no projections about financing and works are not scheduled to start any time soon.
The connection to the rest of Croatian rail network is byHŽnational railways' bus service from theLupoglavjunction to theRijekaStation viaUčka road tunnel
Croatian Istria County's highway system is callen the "Istrian Y".A8motorway connects the county to the rest of Croatia fromMatulji(A7/ furtherA6) interchange through Učka Tunnel toKanfanar interchange, andA9motorway connects Pula viaKanfanartoUmag, connecting the county toSlovenian Istriaand further to Italy.
The only significantairportwith scheduled commercial service isPula Airport. Large majority of flights are only seasonal.
Well-developed areprocessing industry, with traditionalagriculture, sea fishing and growing, construction and production of construction materials (lime,cement, brick, stone), trade andtransport. Most developed branches of industry areshipbuilding(In the early 1970s itsUljanikshipyardwas building the biggest ships in the world asBerge Adriaand others), metal processing, wood industry, furniture industry, automotive components industry, electric machines and appliances industry, glass, plastic, textile, tobacco industry. According to economic indicators, the leading activities are processing industry, tourism, and trade.
Great attention is being given to agriculture and the production of ecologic food, the wine and olive growing. Historically cultivated local wine varieties includeMalvasia(white) andTeran(red).
Istrian olive growers are being included in the first internationalextra virgin olive oilguideFlos Oleisince 2000s, with Istria being both second and then first in the world by number of the included olive growers for 8 years respectively.Istria was declared world's best olive oil region by this guide for 8 years in a row (2017-2024).
Organized tourism in Istria goes back to the Romans, when emperorVespasian, for theentertainmentof that time, built thePula Arena. During the reign ofAustro-Hungarian Empirein (1866), Austrian and Hungarian royalty and aristocracy started visiting local resorts and discovered Poreč.
Significant efforts were made afterWorld War IIto develop the tourist infrastructure and to accentuate its importance. In combination with the natural environment, history andcultural heritage, investments resulted in developed and competitive service all along the western coast in Poreč, Pula, Rovinj, Umag, Novigrad, and Vrsar.
One growing trend among the centrally located cities, especiallyKanfanar, isagritourism. Beginning with La Casa di Matiki in 1994 after the war, a number of eccentric agritouristic Bed and Breakfasts have sprung up in central Istria, providing opportunities for individuals, couples, and families to experience a very authentic Istrian experience while learning about the Istrian agricultural lifestyle.
In the eastern part, as part of another county, there are resorts likeRabac,Opatija. Istria was and still is the most important tourist destination in Croatia, hosting the western and central European visitors, mostly from Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Italy.Area is the most visited tourist region with 27% of all visitors and 35% of time spent in all of Croatia.
The currentPrefectof Istria County isBoris Miletić(Ind.).
The county assembly is composed of 41 representatives from the following political parties:
Directly elected minority councils and representatives are tasked with consulting tasks for the local or regional authorities in which they are advocating for minority rights and interests, integration into public life and participation in the management of local affairs.At the2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives electionsAlbanians,Bosniaks,Montenegrins(electing 22 members),Roma,Slovenes(electing 24 members),SerbsandItalians of Croatiaeach fulfilled legal requirements to elect 25 members minority councils of the Istria County whileCzechs,Hungarians,MacedoniansandUkrainians of Croatiaelected individual representatives withGerman,RussianandSlovakrepresentatives remained unelected due to the lack of candidates.Numerous municipalities, towns or cities in the county elected their own local minority councils as well.
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