Groznjan

Groznjan stands on a ridge in northern Istria and by the 1950s it was close to empty, its stone houses standing open. In 1965 the town was declared a town of artists and the buildings were made available to painters, sculptors and musicians who would restore and use them, which is why the lanes now hold several dozen studios and galleries. Since 1969 it has also hosted the summer school of Jeunesses Musicales, so from June the streets carry the sound of students practising in rooms with the shutters open.

History

Roman finds and the remains of a Roman house have been found around Grožnjan, but it is first named in 1102, as Castrum Grisiniana, when the Margrave of Istria Ulric II and his wife Adelaide gave their land to the Patriarch of Aquileia. It changed hands among Aquileia, local lords and Venice until 1358, when Volrich of Reifenberg sold it to Venice for 4,000 ducats to pay his debts. Venice held it until 1797: in 1359 the captain of Umag moved his residence here and strengthened the walls and palace in 1360 and 1367, the captaincy moved to Raspo in 1394, and the walls were reinforced again in 1446. The plague of 1630 left the area almost deserted, and Venice brought in Italian families from the Veneto and Friuli and settlers from Dalmatia, Albania and Greece, who were given free land and twenty years free of taxes if they farmed it within five years. After the fall of Napoleon's Illyrian Provinces in 1813 Grožnjan passed to Austria, and the emperor Francis visited it in 1816 (Wikipedia, Grožnjan).

What you'll find

• A town emptied and then repopulated - houses given to artists from 1965.
• Studios and galleries in the lanes - several dozen working spaces.
• A summer music school since 1969 - practice heard through open windows.
• Stone streets closed to cars - the whole core is pedestrian.

When to go

May to September, with the music school running through the summer. Half a day.

What to expect

Out of season much of it is shut and very quiet. Galleries keep their own hours and many are seasonal. Parking is below the town and the walk up is on cobbles. It is small - two hours covers the streets.

Nearby

Buje is west; Motovun and the Mirna valley are south-east.

Key facts