Municipality of Cerovlje
Hilly landscape of the central Istria
Cerovlje is the central settlement of a spacious Municipality that covers the hilly landscape north-east of Pazin and has many small and several larger villages. Administratively it is divided into ten local boards: Borut, Cerovlje, Draguć, Gologorica, Gologorički Dol, Gradinje, Grimalda, Pazinski Novaki, Pagubice i Paz.
1.677 inhabitants, 107 sq. km
Municipality of Cerovlje covers 107 km², and the area has, according to 2011 Census, 1.677 inhabitants.
Richness of vegetation, beautiful viewpoints
Municipality rich in vegetation, home to various types of game, along with the work and effort by sport fishing enthusiasts who enriched the fish stocks of the ponds in Cerovlje and Pazinski Novaki, has led to the fact that the Municipality of Cerovlje today has excellent conditions for hunting and sports fishing. Fairytale landscape with white country roads and paths that are slowly turning into walking and biking trails provides an extra offer to all those visitors who wish to see the nature in its full scale.
Wonderful viewpoints, including the Stari Draguć as the highest peak of central Istria (503 m), each carry rich history, and the view from them has never left anyone indifferent.
Different peoples, different cultures
Very few areas can claim such a rich and valuable cultural and historical heritage like that of the Municipality of Cerovlje. This particular area was where the border line between Venetian and Austrian lands was located so it saw constant migration of the population caused by various factors.
Migrations of various peoples, different cultures and border conflicts all affected the rich cultural heritage we can find in these parts today.
Old castles in Paz, Gradinje, Posrt and Belaj bear witness to that, as well as beatuful architecture and frescos in Draguć, the writing by Mikula Gologorički i „Istarski razvod“ – the oldest legal and travels text written in Glagolitic alphabet, tombstones (steles) of the Roman family Labien from 2nd century B.C., and also the large number of churches and chapels that dominate the landscape from the surrounding hilltops.
Natural features have always been the cause of uniqueness of this area. Remoteness and isolation were the reason why Rome had a weak influence on this distant corner of the province. Impassable ravines in the east, strengthened by carefully positioned defensive fortifications (Gradina, Paz, Šabec, later Belaj, Posrt) in middle ages made an unconquerable border with which the Istrian Margrave protected his area. Slow arrival of all the changes of modern civilization to the remote villages, which up until recently did not even have quality roads, affected the depopulation and complete abandonment of some villages, but also the preservation of numerous ethnological particularities and the way of life which are in other part of Istria already long forgotten. If you are looking for the real rural Istria – here you are.