Poreč (Parenzo)

Poreč (Italian Parenzo, Latin Parens or Parentium, archaic German Parenz, Greek Pàrenthos) is a city and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria county, Croatia.

Porec is almost 2,000 years old, and is based on a harbour protected from the sea by the small island of Sveti Nikola (Saint Nicholas). The city's population of approximately 12,000 resides mostly on the outskirts, while the Porec region as a whole has a population of approximately 17,000 inhabitants. The city area covers 142 km˛, with the 37 km long shoreline stretching from the Mirna river near Novigrad-Cittanova to Funtana-Fontana and Vrsar-Orsera in the south.

History

The locality was known of since prehistoric times. During the 2nd century b.C. Roman Castrum was built on a tiny peninsula with dimensions just about 400 m by 200 m where the city core is situated. During the reign of Emperor Augustus in the 1st century, it officially became a city and was part of the Roman colony Colonia Iulia Parentium. In the 3rd century the place already had an organized Christian community with an early-Christian complex of sacral buildings. A basilica was built here in the 5th century where the relics of Parenzo's bishop and martyr Saint Maurus of Parentium, now the patron saint of the city, were kept.

With the fall of the Roman empire in 476, different rulers and powers governed. First, it was held by the Ostrogoths and after 539 was part of the Byzantine Empire. With the end of 6th century. From 788 it was ruled by the Franks. A short independence period followed in the 12th century and later it was ruled by the patriarchs of Aquileia. In 1267 Parenzo became the first Istrian city that chose to become part of Venice, whose rule lasted for more than five centuries. During this period the city several palaces, squares and religious buildings in Venetian style were built. In 1354 the city was destroyed by the Genovese. In 1363 the town was given the City Statute. The population was decimated by the plague at the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century. After the fall of the Venetian Republic Parenzo came under the sovereignty of the Austrian Empire.

Between 1797 and 1814, Parenzo was part of the Napoleonic Illyrian Provinces and therefore nominally part of the French Empire. After this short period it returned to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1844 a steamship connection was established between Parenzo and Trieste.

Starting in 1861, Parenzo became the capital of Istria, the seat of a the Diet (the Regional Parliament), with schools, administrative and judiciary offices, and other services. During this time, it slowly became a center of the shipbuilding industry. It became also a popular tourist resort for the Austrian aristocracy. In 1902 a narrow-gauge railroad line connected the city to Trieste.

After 1918, it was the annexed to the kingdom of Italy. In 1943, it became possession of Yugoslavia and officially assumed the Croat name of Poreč; the original Italian population was forced to leave the city and it was substituted with slavic people (from different regions of Yugoslavia).

Within the Yugoslav federation, Poreč, along with much of the Istria, was given to Croatia's socialist republican authority with only Capodistria/Koper and a few kilometres of coastline given to Slovenia. This internal border paved the way for Poreč to become a part of the modern Croatian state when independence was declared in June 1991.

Administrative division

The municipality of Poreč is divided in 58 localities (naselja):

Climate

The local climate is extremely mild, free of oppressive summer heat. The month of August is the hottest, averaging 30° C in conditions of low humidity, while January is the coldest with an average of 5°C. There are more than 2,400 hours of sun insolation a year, an average of more than 10 hours of sunshine during the summer days. Sea temperatures can reach 28°C, higher than one might expect compared to the coast of southern Croatia where the air temperatures are higher.

The average annual rainfall of 920 mm is equally distributed throughout the year. Winds here are Bora, bringing the cold, clear weather from the north in the winter, and Jugo (jug = south in Croatian) or Scirocco, warm wind from the south bringing rain. The summer breeze that blows from the land to the sea is called the Maestral.

Physical characteristics

The grotto (cave) of Baredine, the only open geological monument of Istria, is in the vicinity. At Baredine Cave, stalagmites have taken on curious shapes. One resembles the Virgin Mary, another the tower of Pisa. Limski Kanal (Lim Bay) is a 12-km long fjord-like canal, created by the river Pazinčica eroding the ground on its way to the sea. Quartz boulders are occasionally found here, exposed by the sea.

The landscape is rich in Mediterranean vegetation, with pine woods and green bushes, mostly of the holm oak and strawberry tree. For generations, the fertile blood-red land (Terra rossa or Crljenica) was used in agriculture (cereals, orchards, olive gardens and vegetables). Today the production of organic food, including olives, grapes, and quality vines such as Malvazija, Borgonja, Merlot, Pinot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Teran, is significant.

Transportation

Road traffic is the primary form of transportation. Poreč is well-connected with the rest of Istria and with larger cities such as Trieste, Rijeka, Ljubljana and Zagreb. The nearest commercial airport is located in Pula. Sea traffic is less important today than it was for centuries in the past; these days it is primarily used for tourist excursions.

The closest railroad connection is in Pazin, which is the seat of regional government, (Istarska županija). In 1902 a narrow-gauge railway line called Parenzana or Parenzaner Bahn, connecting Trieste with Poreč, was introduced. It provided rail service until 1935.

Economy

Traditionally, economic activities were always connected with the land and sea. The only significant industry in the area is food processing. Having been entirely integrated with Europe since 1994, Poreč's trade, finance and communication sectors are growing. The primary source of income is tourism. Real estate prices are very high due to the city's prime location.

Main sights

The city plan still shows the ancient Roman Castrum structure. The main streets are Decumanus and Cardo Maximus, still preserved in their original ancient forms. Marafor is a Roman square with two temples attached. One of them, erected in the first century a.D., is dedicated to the Roman god Neptune; its dimensions are 30 m by 11 m.

A few houses from the Romanesque period have been preserved and beautiful Venetian Gothic palaces can be seen here. Originally a Gothic Franciscan church built in the 13th century, the "Dieta Istriana" hall was remodeled in the Baroque style in the 18th century.

The Euphrasian Basilica, rebuilt in the 6th century under the Byzantine Empire and bishop Euphrasius, is the most important historical site in Poreč. It is a protected World Heritage Site, so designated by UNESCO in 1997.

Between the 12th and 19th centuries, the city had defensive walls, as the better-known Dubrovnik still does today.

Tourism

In 1844 the Steamers Society, the Austrian Lloyd from Trieste, opened a tourist line which included Parenzo. The first tourist guide describing and depicting the city was printed as early as 1845. The Austro-Hungarian aristocracy was the first to discover the area in 1866, when Austrian Archduchess Stephanie introduced the city to the public by sailing into Parenzo's harbor in her yacht Phantasy. In 1867 Archduke Charles Stephen and archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria vacationed here, and in 1868 Charles Ludwig visited the area. The oldest hotel is the Riviera, constructed in 1910. Later came the Parentino and others.

Today, tourist infrastructure is intentionally dispersed along the 37 km long coastline, between the river Mirna and the deep Limski Kanal. The south hosts self-contained centers like Plava Laguna (Blue Lagoon), Zelena Laguna (Green Lagoon), Bijela Uvala (White Cove) and Brulo. To the north, mirroring centers are Materada, Červar-Porat, Ulika, Lanterna. In the high season, the area's temporary population can exceed 120,000.

Porec's heritage can be seen in the historic town center, in museums and galleries hosted in houses and palaces, many of them still private homes as they have been for centuries. In the off season, weekend visitors from Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and mostly Italy visit the area. Sports complexes are developed and used year-round. During the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995), these complexes were used to host refugees from other parts of the country.

Towns and localities in the Municipality