The best cycling routes around Općina Žminj

You can also celebrate weddings here.

This is the final stop

There are always some small shops in the center.

The Church of St. Michael in Žminj was built in the 16th century and has been one of the most important religious buildings in the area ever since. It boasts exquisite craftsmanship, with colored stones sourced from a mine in nearby Gradišće.

The Church of Saint Catherine is a simple building dating back to the 15th century. It features a bell gable and a loggia, which was added in the 18th century. In the Church of Saint Catherine, the frescoes are arranged along the north, south, and west walls of the chapel and depict the cycle of legends related to the life of the saint. The central space is occupied by the image of the Madonna and Child, while below, Saint Catherine, with her hand outstretched and Jesus grasping her fingers, symbolizes the act of the mystical marriage. The frescoes were created under the influence of 15th-century Italian painting, more specifically Venetian.

Pazin Castle is a well-protected fortress located on the edge of the Pazinčica River ravine, and is also the largest and best-preserved fortress in Istria. It is first mentioned in 983, in the deed of gift by which King Otto II granted the castle to the Bishop of Poreč. Over the next two centuries, the castle changed hands frequently; the daughter of Meinhard von Schwarzenburg, the castle's owner, brought the building as a dowry to the Counts of Gorizia, who owned it until 1374. In the same year, the castle was taken over by the Habsburgs, who, from behind its mighty walls, governed the entire Istrian hinterland, or the County of Pazin. The castle's glory and strength are also evidenced by the fact that it was not conquered during the war against Venice. The inhabitants of Pazin enjoyed considerable autonomy and freedom at that time, unlike the peasants who lived in the surrounding territories. In the 17th century, the castle was purchased by the Marquis Montecuccoli of Modena. The fiefdom remained his property until the mid-19th century, while the fortress remained his until 1945. During World War II, in September-October 1943 and again in April-May 1945, Montecuccoli Castle served as the headquarters of the OZNA (Tito's secret police) and the "People's Tribunals." It also served as a trial site, a place of imprisonment and torture for Istrian Italians. They were then eliminated by being thrown into the sinkhole (foiba) or, more simply, thrown into the ravine of the Foiba stream from the castle windows or the parapets of the square. The remains of the bodies—already battered by the impact with the rock faces and the branches of the vegetation growing on the cliffs—resurfaced a long distance after their underground passage through the Foiba, reaching the sea between Rovinj and Vrsar.

Located in central Istria, Pazin (Pisino in Italian) is a town of ancient charm, known for its imposing castle overlooking the spectacular karst chasm. Its history begins in 983, when it is mentioned as Castrum Pisinum. The village grew up around the castle, which over the centuries became the seat of the County of Pazin, an important bastion of the Holy Roman Empire. Unlike much of Istria, under Venetian rule, Pazin remained tied to the Austrian Habsburgs for a long time (from 1374 to 1918). After the First World War, it passed to the Kingdom of Italy, then to Yugoslavia in 1945, and finally, since 1991, to independent Croatia. Today, Pazin is considered the historical capital of the Istrian hinterland, also famous thanks to Jules Verne, who set some scenes of his novel Mathias Sandorf here.

The Church of St. Catherine was built in 1392 and served as the parish church until 1860. It is Lindar's most famous cultural monument thanks to its unusual and unique fresco, the "Living Cross," located inside. The fresco was painted in 1409, as evidenced by the Glagolitic inscription on the painting, and contains an allegorical depiction of the Crucifixion scene, in which the arms of the cross transform into four living arms. During recent restorations, remains of frescoes depicting the Kiss of Judas were also discovered on the presbytery wall. The façade of the small church features a bell gable without bells, and a portico with Gothic-style openings was added in front of the church. The carved wooden altar dates back to 1770, while the altarpiece dates to the 17th century. www.viaggiatorelento.com