Municipality of Tinjan
Small town, once surrounded by ramparts and towers, today is a charming place where tradition and history are proudly presented. It is positioned over evergreen Draga (valley), the beauty of which one can enjoy from a viewpoint beneath the old hackberry trees while sitting on stone seats.
1.684 inhabitants, 53,94 km²
Municipality of Tinjan’s area is 53,94 km², and according to the 2011 Census it has 1.684 inhabitants.
Preserved heritage and tradition of old times
In Roman era, Tinjan was named Attinianum and it protected the borders of Poreč ager and supervised the road to Tarsatica. It reached full glory in medieval times. From 1374 until Napoleon took reign over Istria, the Tinjan fort protected the border of Pazin County towards the Venetians for its owners, the Habsburgs. From 1578 onwards, Tinjan is no longer a fort and it is called a town. Medieval local authority, with župan as the head, made decisions on all important matters. The župan was elected in a very unique way: at the župan’s table – the stone table that still exists under the hackberry tree. All the candidates would sit around the table and put their long beards on it. Then they would put a flea in a hole at the center of the table and wait to see in whose beard the flea would jump. The person the flea “selected” would become the župan.
Old town center remained the same since the middle ages. The oldest house, now renovated, dates back to 1442, and symbols on the houses like hedge bills, proudly present occupations that the former owners held. The stories of Attila’s head at the gates of the 16th century house, the župan’s table, kidnapping of Tinjan women and forced marriages with the kidnappers are still being told to today’s generations. Old crafts, customs and games are carefully preserved, giving us insight into times past. The festival of blacksmiths gathers the best Istrian blacksmiths and presents skills and tools perfected over centuries.
Municipality of Istrian prosciutto and dry stone walls
Named the Municipality of the Istrian prosciutto, Tinjan organizes, in October of every year the ISAP – International fair of prosciutto. This world-famous exquisite gastronomic delicacy, has a recipe protected at the EU level (PDO/PGI)
With the aim of preserving the construction heritage, Municipality of Tinjan started an action of protection of Istrian dry stone wall. The project “European dray stone wall” is designed in a way to renovate the existing dry stone wall from Kringa to Tinjan (4 km). Every stone inserted receives a number, and its “builder” receives a certificate to confirm that they built the dry stone wall. For recreational purposes, a cycling and walking trail was also built along the wall.