Grožnjan ( it, Grisignana) is a settlement and municipality in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
. It is part of Croatia's
Istria County
Istria County (; hr, Istarska županija; it, Regione istriana, "Istrian Region") is the westernmost county of Croatia which includes the biggest part of the Istrian peninsula ( out of , or 89%).
Administrative centers in the county are Paz ...
, which takes up most of the
Istrian peninsula. 39% of the municipality's population has
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
ethnicity.
History
Early history
In Grožnjan are found ancient Roman artifacts and near Grožnjan is the remains of a Roman house, but the first mention of Grožnjan dates from 1102, when
Margrave of Istria
The March of Istria (or Margraviate of Istria ) was originally a Carolingian frontier march covering the Istrian peninsula and surrounding territory conquered by Charlemagne's son Pepin of Italy in 789. After 1364, it was the name of the Istria ...
Ulric II and his wife Adelaida granted their land to
Patriarch of Aquileia
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certain ...
. In this document the fort is called ''Castrum Grisiniana''. In 1238 Grožnjan was the property of Vicardo I Pietrapalosa. In 1286, Grožnjan fort was lent to the Aquileian patriarch during war with
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
but changed sides in 1287, and Grožnjan was given to Venice.
Vicardo's son Pietro inherited Grožnjan after his father's death in 1329, and when he died in 1339 it again became the patriarch's property. The patriarch rented it to a
Friuli
Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giuli ...
noble family, de Castello. In 1354 Grožnjan's new owner became Volrich, or Ulrich, Reifenberg, who in 1358 sold it to Venice for 4,000 ducats in order to pay his debts. Volrich was a son of Deitalm, a descendant of Aquileian patriarch Volcher, and in 1356, during the war between Venice and
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
, his army, entrenched in Grožnjan, strongly resisted the Hungarian army. Yet it seems that at the same time Volrich negotiated the surrendering of Grožnjan in Venice.
Venetian Republic
Venice took Grožnjan over in 1358 and ruled until its demise in 1797. In 1359 the
Umag
Umag (; it, Umago) is a coastal town in Istria, Croatia.
Geography
It is the westernmost town of Croatia, and it includes Bašanija, the westernmost point of Croatia.
Population
Umag has a population of 7,281, with a total municipal populatio ...
captain
Pietro Dolfin moved to his new residence in Grožnjan, and in 1360 and 1367 he fortified the town walls and renovated the palace.
Captain's Office moved from Grožnjan to Raspo in 1394, when a central rule was established for the whole area. Since then Grožnjan was governed by Venetian noblemen who were given the title of "
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
". From the early 16th century Grožnjan's mayors were chosen among
Koper noblemen. In the 15th century judicial duties were performed by the Pietrapelosas, and in 1446 the town walls were fortified in order to protect it from possible Turkish attacks. After the terrible plague in 1630 the Grožnjan area became almost completely deserted. In order to revitalize the area the St. Mark's Republic brought Italian families from
Veneto
it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 = ...
and
Friuli
Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giuli ...
; these were mostly tradesmen who settled in towns. Settlers were invited by the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
to cultivate the abandoned land in some hamlets around Grožnjan. Most of the settlers were
Morlachs
Morlachs ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Morlaci, Морлаци or , ; it, Morlacchi; ro, Morlaci) has been an exonym used for a rural Christian community in Herzegovina, Lika and the Dalmatian Hinterland. The term was initially used for a bilingual Vlach p ...
from
Dalmatia, but also Slavic people,
Albanians and
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
, all refugees of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.
All settlers in Istria were given free land and were exempt from fiscal duties and work obligations for twenty years; the only condition was to cultivate the land within five years. The economic success of the colonization of villages was reflected in the towns as well: trade and transportation developed and demographics improved.
Austrian Empire
After the fall of
Napoleon's Empire in 1813, his
Illyrian Provinces, including Grožnjan, became part of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
. In 1816 the Austrian Emperor
Francis II visited Grožnjan on his tour through Istria and met with the local clergy and population.
During Austrian rule, the Grožnjan area flourished. The building of the
Parenzana
The Parenzana in Italian and Croatian or Porečanka in Slovene is one of the nicknames of a defunct 760mm/15 15/16 inch narrow gauge railway (operating between 1902 and 1935) between Trieste and Poreč (at that time Parenzo, hence the name ' ...
railroad in 1902 enhanced the development of trade and agriculture. Wine, olive oil, eggs, and other produce were sold in
Koper and
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...
. According to the 1910 census, the settlement of Grožnjan had 1,658, and the municipal area had 4,028 inhabitants. The town had a doctor, a post office, a school, a lawyer, a notary public, an oil processing plant, a bakery, groceries and clothing stores, two butchers, several inns, and various trade shops (shoemakers, blacksmiths, tailors, carpenters, etc.).
Kingdom of Italy
The dissolution of the Austrian Empire, the subsequent Italian rule and the
Great Depression had its consequences. In the 1920s people started to emigrate, looking for work in
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...
and overseas. During the rule of the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...
Grožnjan attained waterworks, the area was electrified, and the
Mirna
MicroRNA (miRNA) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecules containing 21 to 23 nucleotides. Found in plants, animals and some viruses, miRNAs are involved in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. miR ...
river valley was reclaimed.
SFR Yugoslavia
After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Istria was divided into two parts, the Yugoslav one and the
Free Territory of Trieste
The Free Territory of Trieste was an independent territory in Southern Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, facing the north part of the Adriatic Sea, under direct responsibility of the United Nations Security Council in the aftermath ...
, which was divided into Zone A, controlled by the US Army, and Zone B, controlled by the
Yugoslav Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...
. Grožnjan becomes a part of Zone B. On October 5, 1954, the
London Memorandum
The Treaty of Osimo was signed on 10 November 1975 by Italy and Yugoslavia in Osimo, Italy, to definitively divide the Free Territory of Trieste between the two states: the port city of Trieste with a narrow coastal strip to the north-west (Zone ...
was signed and Zone A was assigned to Italy, and Zone B to the
People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yugo ...
. In 1975 the
Treaty of Osimo
The Treaty of Osimo was signed on 10 November 1975 by Italy and Yugoslavia in Osimo, Italy, to definitively divide the Free Territory of Trieste between the two states: the port city of Trieste with a narrow coastal strip to the north-west (Zone ...
divided the Free Territory of Trieste and Grožnjan became part of Yugoslavia.
The London Memorandum provided the population with the option of emigration to Italy. The new Yugoslavia's emergent communist system and its application, along with lingering hostilities between Italians and Yugoslavs (like the murder of priest
Francesco Bonifacio), contributed to a large wave of emigration (part of the
Istrian–Dalmatian exodus
The Istrian–Dalmatian exodus (; ; ) was the post-World War II exodus and departure of local ethnic Italians (Istrian Italians and Dalmatian Italians) as well as ethnic Slovenes, Croats, and Istro-Romanians from the Yugoslav territory of Juli ...
). By April 1956, 2/3 of the population emigrated from the area to Italy.
In 1955 Grožnjan lost its municipality status and became part of the municipality of
Buje
Buje ( it, Buie) is a town situated in Istria, Croatia's westernmost peninsula.
Buje was known as the "sentinel of Istria" for its hilltop site located inland from the Adriatic Sea.
History
Buje has a rich history; traces of life in the regio ...
. In 1965, when the Town of Arts was founded, some of the housing was given to artists from Croatia, Slovenia, and Vojvodina, and some were assigned to the Cultural Centre of the International Music Youth Federation in 1969. In 1993 Grožnjan got its municipality status again.
Demographics
According to the
2011 census, the whole of Grožnjan Municipality has 736 inhabitants, while the settlement of Grožnjan itself has 164 inhabitants.
The ethnic composition of the municipality is 39.40%
Italians
, flag =
, flag_caption = The national flag of Italy
, population =
, regions = Italy 55,551,000
, region1 = Brazil
, pop1 = 25–33 million
, ref1 =
, region2 ...
, 29.62%
Croats
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...
, 18.21% regionally declared ("Istrians"), and 2.17%
Slovenes
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their na ...
. The native language in the municipality is 56.52%
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, 37.36%
Croatian, and 2.72%
Slovene.
The municipality consists of following settlements:
*Antonci (Antonzi), population 62
*Bijele Zemlje (Terre Bianche), population 80
*Grožnjan (Grisignana), population 164
*Kostanjica (Castagna), population 48
*Kuberton (Cuberton), population 18
*Makovci (Macovzi), population 107
*Martinčići (Martincici), population 140
*Šterna (Sterna), population 70
*Vrnjak (Vergnacco), uninhabited
*Završje (Piemonte d'Istria), population 47
Culture
Grožnjan is today known as "Town of artists". It has about 20 art galleries, it hosts summer film school, and it has become an international center of Croatian music youth. Grožnjan has an annual jazz festival "Jazz is Back-BP", that was started by
Boško Petrović, attracting international musicians, such as
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the on ...
in 2007,
Mike Sponza. In 2008 it won the European award for best small jazz festival. It is held for two or three weeks, in the second half of July. Grožnjan also has an annual painting festival, the Ex Tempore, hosting more than 300 artists from the whole Europe.
Gallery
File:Grožnjan–Building-02.jpg, Houses in Grožnjan
File:Groznjan shop.jpg, Shop in Grožnjan
File:Ballet Course 01.jpg, Ballet Course in Grožnjan
File:Grožnjan1.jpg, Typical alley
File:Summer School Grožnjan-Croatia.jpg, Summer School
File:Wine Exhibition.jpg, Wine Exhibition
File:Grožnjan, view to the Saint Vitus church.jpg, Olives near Grožnjan
File:Croatia Grožnjan Loggia Trg Lode-1577.jpg, Loggia of Grožnjan
References
External links
Grožnjan Municipality Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groznjan
Municipalities of Croatia
Italian-speaking territorial units in Croatia