ISTRIADUCTION
June – August | Free Entrance
Outside Istria, all roads lead to Rome, but in Istria all roads lead to Žminj, is one of the lessons that can be heard from the guide Karla Čerljenko Bulić on this season’s free guided tour of Žminj called Žminjska šturija. And much more can be seen and learned through a short, only one-hour circular walk through the old town of Žminj: what do the remains of three concentric circles of the former Žminj defensive walls look like; which is the oldest non-sacral building in Žminj; why the interiors of the country churches were painted with frescoes and what is the usual order of the scenes depicted on them; how once the roofs of houses were covered with stone slates; what is it called, why is it called that and what does the oldest preserved Žminj city street look like; what happened to the only saved wooden altar from the church in Žminj that was destroyed in a fire a long time ago; where people gathered in Žminj in the past and where and on what occasions they gather today; how history and modernity intertwine in the space in the landscape; why he once moved away from Žminj and other Istrian towns and today such places are becoming attractive for living again; and much more.
Dressed in folk costume from Cere in the Žminj region, guide Karla Čerljenko Bulić presents the intangible cultural heritage of the Žminj region, especially the distinctive Žminj dialect, which enjoys UNESCO protection as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage; and with his stories about Žminj’s houses, streets, squares and surroundings, he successfully interprets the connection between the past and the present and represents Žminj through its historical, demographic, cultural and other social changes and processes.
Usually, the route of the seventh season of Žminj Stuorija, which will continue every summer starting at 10 am, starts at the foot of the only preserved defensive tower of the former Žminj castle or in front of today’s Tourist Office, from where guests walk through the old part of Žminj. stopping at the Canonical House and on the paved ancient street called Strada, followed by a tour of the frescoed church of St. Antun Pustinjak, tour of the parish church of Sv. Mihovil and the older chapels of Sv. Trinity, and the route ends at the square “Zad kaštela” with a view of the wider Žminj area. At the end of the tour, the guests of Zad kaštela welcome stands with products from local producers, from fresh fruits and vegetables of the family farm “Return to Nature” of the Grgorović family from the village Žgombini near Cer, to traditional dried meat products of the company “Žminjski gušti” Milan Udovičić; on a separate stand, replicas of the “Žminj rivers” were presented, ie jewelry reconstructed according to archeological findings, made by the jewelry store David from Pula and sold by the Heidi Flower Studio in Žminj; and with the famous popularizer of traditional Žminj gastronomy Zdenka Jakus, guests can also learn live how to mix Žminj macaroni and other forms of traditional pasta that can otherwise be tasted at the summer Istrian pasta festival in Žminj.
In addition to exceptionally one-hour experiences, guests of the Žminj Studio were also honored with discount coupons for visiting the Feštinsko kraljevstvo cave for quad rides organized by the Žminj-based company Quad Experience Istria.