Poreč

Poreč Parenzo Parenso
City
City of Poreč Grad Poreč Città di Parenzo[1]
Poreč
Flag
Poreč
Coordinates: 45°13′38″N 13°35′45″E / 45.22722°N 13.59583°E / 45.22722; 13.59583
Country	Croatia
County	Istria County
Government
• Mayor	Loris Peršurić[2] (IDS)
• City Council	17 members • ŽZ (1) • Independents (2)
Area UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	52 440
Area code	052
Website	porec.hr

Poreč (Croatian pronunciation:

The town is almost 2,000 years old, and is set around a

]

History

Roman period

During the 2nd century BC, a Roman

of Colonia Iulia Parentium.

In the 3rd century the settlement had an organised

.

Middle Ages

With the fall of the

. In 1363 the town was given the City Statute.

Modern period

The population was decimated by 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 Habsburg monarchy.

Between 1805 and 1814, Parenzo was part of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and then of the Illyrian Provinces, nominally part of the First French Empire. After this period it was again annexed by the Habsburgs, with the Monarchy reorganized into the Austrian Empire. In 1844 a steamship connection was established between Parenzo and Trieste.

In 1861, under Austrian 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 the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy. Between 1902 and 1935 the Parenzana (from the name 'Parenzaner Bahn'), a narrow-gauge railway line connected the town to Trieste.

After 1918, it became part of the Kingdom of Italy. In 1944, the city was bombed by the Allies 34 times, damaging 75% of the city.^[6]

Yugoslav period (1945/47-1991)

In 1947, two years after

From 1945 to 1991, Poreč was a city of

.

Independent Croatia (since 1991)

In 1991 Croatia became an independent state. Today, the city's Italian name (Parenzo) is also used in an official capacity.^[8][9]

Climate

Situated on the western coast of Istria and cooled by sea breezes, the local

.

Nearby sightseeing sites

The

Lim Bay is a 12-km long estuary with the aspect of a narrow canal, created by the river Pazinčica by eroding the ground on its way to the Adriatic Sea. Quartz boulders are occasionally found here, exposed by the sea.

Vegetation and agriculture

The landscape is rich in

.

Transportation

Road traffic is the primary form of transportation. Poreč is well-connected with the rest of Istria and with larger cities such as

, a narrow-gauge railway line connected the town to Trieste.

Economy

Decumanus and Saint Eleutherius, martyr

streets in central Poreč

Traditionally, economic activities have always been connected with the land and sea. The only significant industry in the area is food processing, but Croatia's ongoing integration into the broader European economy has led to Poreč seeing growth in its trade, finance and communication sectors. However, the primary source of income is tourism.^[12]

Real estate prices are very high due to the city's prime location.

Demographics

Historical populations
of Poreč – Parenzo

Year	Pop.	±%
1880	7,355	—
1890	8,478	+15.3%
1900	10,168	+19.9%
1910	12,439	+22.3%
1921	12,252	−1.5%
1931	12,607	+2.9%
1948	9,862	−21.8%
1953	8,604	−12.8%
1961	8,216	−4.5%
1971	8,820	+7.4%
1981	11,739	+33.1%
1991	14,633	+24.7%
2001	17,460	+19.3%
2011	16,696	−4.4%
Source: Naselja i stanovništvo Republike Hrvatske 1857–2001, DZS, Zagreb, 2005

According to the 2011 census, the main ethnic groups in Poreč are Croats (74.8%), Istrian Italians (3.2%), Serbs (3.4%), Albanians (2.7%) and Bosniaks (1.95%).^[13] Also part of the Parentian people submitted the choice "regional" (as

), 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, and with all

Main sights

The town plan still shows the

). 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 Parenzo. 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.

Porec also has one of the smallest streets in Europe the Ulica Stjepana Konzula Istranina.

Tourism

In 1844, the

is the Riviera, constructed in 1910. Later came the Parentino and others.

Today,

("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's heritage can be seen in the historic town centre, 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 Italy visit the area. Sports complexes are developed and used year-round.

Notable natives

Chronologically:

• Giuseppe Picciola, Italian poet (1859–1907)
• Giuseppe Pagano, Italian architect (1896–1945)
• Mario Visintini (1913–1941), Italian flying ace of the Spanish Civil War and World War II
• Licio Visintini (1915–1942), brother of Mario, Italian naval officer during World War II, member of an elite commando frogman unit
• Rita Rusić (1960), Italian actress, singer and producer
• Simon Sluga (1993), Croatian footballer

Twin town and sister cities

• Massa Lombarda, Italy
• Siófok, Hungary
• Poing, Germany

See also

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Poreč-Pula

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Poreč.

• Poreč travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Poreč – Croatian National Tourist Board Website
• Poreč-Parenzo Tourist Office Official Website
• Poreč – Istria Tourist Board Website
• Istra Music Festival - International Music Festival in Poreč
• Poreč on the Map – Poreč locations on the map with extended info and historical facts
• Giovanni Maria Cassini (1791). "Lo Stato Veneto da terra diviso nelle sue provincie, quarta parte che compren de porzioni del Dogado e dell' Istria". Rome: Calcografia camerale. (Map of Parenzo region).