The town is almost 2,000 years old, and is set around aharbour protected from the sea by the smallisland of Sveti Nikola. Its population of approximately 12,000 resides mostly on the outskirts, while the wider Poreč area has a population of approximately 16,600 inhabitants. The municipal area covers 142 square kilometres (55 sq mi), with the 37 kilometres (23 miles) long shoreline stretching from theMirna River nearNovigrad (Cittanova) toFuntana (Fontane) andVrsar (Orsera) in the south.
During the 2nd century BC, a Romancastrum was built on a tinypeninsula with approximate dimensions of 400 m × 200 m (1,312.34 ft × 656.17 ft) where the town centre is now. During the reign ofEmperorAugustus in the 1st century BC, it officially became acity and was part of the Romancolony ofColonia Iulia Parentium.
In the 3rd century the settlement had an organisedChristian community with an early-Christian complex of sacral buildings. The earliestbasilica contained the remains of and was dedicated toSaint Maurus of Parentium and dates back to the second half of the 4th century. The floor mosaic from itsoratory, originally part of a large Roman house, is still preserved in the garden of theEuphrasian Basilica.
With the fall of theWestern Roman Empire in 476, different rulers and powers governed. First, it was held by theOstrogoths and after 539 was part of theByzantine Empire. From 788 it was ruled by theFranks. A short independence period followed in the 12th century and later it was ruled by thePatriarchate of Aquileia. In 1267 Parenzo became the first Istrian city that chose to become part of theRepublic of Venice, whose rule lasted for more than five centuries. During this period several palaces, squares and religious buildings in Venetian style were built.
On 16 August 1354 the city was destroyed by theGenoese underPaganino Doria, who carried off the relics of saintsEleutherius and Maurus to Genoa, where they were deposited at the church ofSan Matteo.[7] In 1363 the town was given the City Statute.
Between 1805 and 1814, Parenzo was part of the NapoleonicKingdom of Italy and then of theIllyrian Provinces, nominally part of theFirst French Empire. After this period it was again annexed by theHabsburgs, with the Monarchy reorganized into theAustrian Empire. In 1844 a steamship connection was established between Parenzo andTrieste.
In 1861, underAustrian Littoral Parenzo became the seat of the regional Parliament,[citation needed] with schools, administrative and judiciary offices, and other services. During this time, it slowly became a shipbuilding center. It also became a popular tourist resort for theAustro-Hungarian aristocracy. Between 1902 and 1935 theParenzana (from the name 'Parenzaner Bahn'), a narrow-gauge railway line connected the town toTrieste.
After 1918, it became part of theKingdom of Italy. In 1944, the city wasbombed by theAllies 34 times, damaging 75% of the city.[8]
In 1947, two years afterWorld War II, the city became part of Yugoslavia and the city name was changed intoPoreč. The Italian populationleft the city and was replaced by Slavic people from different regions of Yugoslavia.[9]
Situated on the western coast of Istria and cooled by sea breezes, the localclimate is relatively mild and free of oppressive summer heat. The month of July is the hottest, with a maximum air temperature of30°C in conditions of lowhumidity, while January is the coldest with anaverage of 6 °C (43 °F). There are more than 2,400 hours of sun a year, an average of more than 10 hours of sunshine during the summer days. Sea temperatures can reach 28 °C (82 °F), higher than one might expect compared to the coast of southern Croatia where the air temperatures are higher. The average annualrainfall of 920 mm (36.2 in) is more or less equally distributed throughout the year, although July and August are very dry.[12] Winds here are theBora, bringing the cold, clear weather from the north in the winter, and theJugo, a warm southern wind bringing rain. The summer breeze that blows from the sea to the land is called theMaestral.
Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was 37.0 °C (98.6 °F), on 2 August 1998.[13] The coldest temperature was −13.0 °C (8.6 °F), on 10 January 1981.[14]
Lim Bay is a 12-km longestuary with the aspect of a narrow canal, created by the riverPazinčica by eroding the ground on its way to theAdriatic Sea.Quartz boulders are occasionally found here, exposed by the sea.
Road traffic is the primary form of transportation. Poreč is well-connected with the rest of Istria and with larger cities such asTrieste,Rijeka (Fiume),Ljubljana andZagreb. The nearest commercialairport is inPula (Pola). Seatraffic is less important today than it was in previous centuries; these days it is primarily used for tourist excursions. The closestrailway station is inPazin (Pisino), which is the seat of theIstria Countylocal authority. Between 1902 and 1937 theParenzana, a narrow-gauge railway line connected the town to Trieste.
Traditionally, economic activities have always been connected with the land and sea. The only significant industry in the area isfood processing, but Croatia's ongoing integration into the broader European economy has led to Poreč seeing growth in itstrade,finance and communication sectors. However, the primary source ofincome istourism.[16]
Real estate prices are very high due to the city's prime location.
Source: Naselja i stanovništvo Republike Hrvatske 1857–2001, DZS, Zagreb, 2005
According to the 2011 census, the main ethnic groups in Poreč-Parenzo areCroats (74.8%),Istrian Italians (3.2%),Serbs (3.4%),Albanians (2.7%) andBosniaks (1.95%).[17]Also part of the Parentian people submitted the choice "regional" (asIstrian), regardless of their Italian or Croatian origin. In the common use Italian is spoken by 15% of the local population.
According to the 2011 census, there are 9,790 residents of the town of Poreč-Parenzo, and with allsettlements included, municipality of Poreč-Parenzo has a total of 16,696 residents:[18]
Although though theGovernment of the Republic of Croatia does not guarantee official Croatian-Italian bilinguialism, the statute of Poreč-Parenzo itself guarantees it.[19]: 3 Consequently, Italian is an official language in the town, along with Croatian.
The town plan still shows theancient RomanCastrumstructure. The main streets areDecumanus andCardo Maximus, still preserved in their original forms.Marafor is a Romansquare with two temples attached. One of them, erected in the first centuryAD, is dedicated to theRoman godNeptune; its dimensions are 30 by 11 m (98.43 by 36.09 ft).A few houses from theRomanesque period have been preserved and beautiful Venetian Gothic palaces can be seen here. Originally aGothic Franciscanchurch built in the 13th century, the 'Dieta Istriana' hall was remodeled in theBaroque style in the 18th century.
Renovated Riviera Hotel todayBeach in Poreč-Parenzo
In 1844, theAustrian Lloyd steamship company opened atourist line which called at Parenzo. The first touristguide describing and depicting the town was printed as early as 1845. The oldesthotel is the Riviera, constructed in 1910. Later came the Parentino and others.
Today,tourist infrastructure is intentionally dispersed along the 37 km (23 mi) longcoastline, between theMirna River and the deepLim valley. The south hosts self-contained centres likePlava Laguna ("Blue Lagoon"), Zelena Laguna ("Green Lagoon"), Bijela Uvala ("White Cove") and Brulo. To the north, mirroring centres are Materada, Červar Porat, Ulika and Lanterna. In the high season, the area's temporary population can exceed 120,000.
Poreč'sheritage can be seen in the historic town centre, inmuseums 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 fromCroatia,Slovenia,Austria andItaly visit the area. Sports complexes are developed and used year-round.
^Musarra, Antonio (2020).Il Grifo e il Leone: Genova e Venezia in lotta per il Mediterraneo (in Italian). Bari and Rome: Editori Laterza. pp. 239–240.ISBN978-88-581-4072-7.
^Perselli, G. (2001).I censimenti della popolazione dell'Istria, con Fiume e Trieste, e di alcune città della Dalmazia tra il 1850 e il 1936. Unione Italiana-Fiume, Università Popolare-Trieste, Centro di Ricerche Storiche di Rovigno, Trieste-Rovigno.
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