Page 71 - Dark Shades of Istria
P. 71
ns-Border Region of Istria 5
From the physical geography point of view, the Istrian peninsula is a ter-
ritory extending south of the imaginary line linking Muggia (in the Gulf
of Trieste in Italy) to Preluka (the bay between Opatija and Rijeka in
Croatia); the triangular- or heart-shaped peninsula is the largest penin-
sula in the Adriatic. This is the area of contrasts, where the coastal part
is Mediterranean, while the hinterland/inland is continental. Istria is a
land of bays, coves, cliffs (on the northern part), and small islands; Is-
tria has a karst terrain with deposits of flysch and ground water, caves
and abysses as well as rivers such as Mirna, Dragonja and Raša; the Is-
trian soil is red, ‘white’ or grey, and allows the cultivation of vegetables
and fruits. As early as 1851, Rieger (1977) traced the entire western coast
of Istria with great precision (view from a steamboat), displaying all its
natural and settlement characteristics; Yriarte (1883) described the natu-
ral and cultural-geographic characteristics of the peninsula three decades
later.¹ This aspect is more relevant for our topic and therefore, it will be
further analysed.
Generally, Istria was known throughout history as a poor (underdevel-
oped) region (Knez, 2010; Marsetič, 2014; Stradner, 1903; Vinci, 2012) and
dangerous (in terms of physical security) for its residents and travellers
(Kavrečič, 2015). With the constant spreading of infectious diseases before
w w i (Marsetič, 2014; Radošević, 2015; Škrobonja, 2010; Železnik, 2010;
2013), as well as in the era of the Kingdom of Italy (Radošević, 2012; 2015;
Škrobonja, 2010; Vinci, 2012), Istria was not given a very promising im-
age. These difficult living conditions strongly affected the demographic
picture of the region, constantly influenced by all kinds of migrations.²
On the other hand, in the second half of the 19th century, the regional
and central authorities strongly supported the development of tourism
in the Upper Adriatic, intended primarily for the wealthy classes (Baskar,
2010; Kavrečič, 2014; 2015; Šuligoj, 2015b), which sounds paradoxical.
The strategic importance of Pula as well as some other cities with their
economic activities, including tourism, undoubtedly contributed to the
construction of a transport infrastructure, which:
¹ More about Istria from the geographic perspective can be found in Blažević (1984).
² More about migrations in Istria can be found in Žerjavić (1993), Klemenčić et al. (1993),
Ballinger (2002), Nejašmić (2014) or Šarić (2015).
71
From the physical geography point of view, the Istrian peninsula is a ter-
ritory extending south of the imaginary line linking Muggia (in the Gulf
of Trieste in Italy) to Preluka (the bay between Opatija and Rijeka in
Croatia); the triangular- or heart-shaped peninsula is the largest penin-
sula in the Adriatic. This is the area of contrasts, where the coastal part
is Mediterranean, while the hinterland/inland is continental. Istria is a
land of bays, coves, cliffs (on the northern part), and small islands; Is-
tria has a karst terrain with deposits of flysch and ground water, caves
and abysses as well as rivers such as Mirna, Dragonja and Raša; the Is-
trian soil is red, ‘white’ or grey, and allows the cultivation of vegetables
and fruits. As early as 1851, Rieger (1977) traced the entire western coast
of Istria with great precision (view from a steamboat), displaying all its
natural and settlement characteristics; Yriarte (1883) described the natu-
ral and cultural-geographic characteristics of the peninsula three decades
later.¹ This aspect is more relevant for our topic and therefore, it will be
further analysed.
Generally, Istria was known throughout history as a poor (underdevel-
oped) region (Knez, 2010; Marsetič, 2014; Stradner, 1903; Vinci, 2012) and
dangerous (in terms of physical security) for its residents and travellers
(Kavrečič, 2015). With the constant spreading of infectious diseases before
w w i (Marsetič, 2014; Radošević, 2015; Škrobonja, 2010; Železnik, 2010;
2013), as well as in the era of the Kingdom of Italy (Radošević, 2012; 2015;
Škrobonja, 2010; Vinci, 2012), Istria was not given a very promising im-
age. These difficult living conditions strongly affected the demographic
picture of the region, constantly influenced by all kinds of migrations.²
On the other hand, in the second half of the 19th century, the regional
and central authorities strongly supported the development of tourism
in the Upper Adriatic, intended primarily for the wealthy classes (Baskar,
2010; Kavrečič, 2014; 2015; Šuligoj, 2015b), which sounds paradoxical.
The strategic importance of Pula as well as some other cities with their
economic activities, including tourism, undoubtedly contributed to the
construction of a transport infrastructure, which:
¹ More about Istria from the geographic perspective can be found in Blažević (1984).
² More about migrations in Istria can be found in Žerjavić (1993), Klemenčić et al. (1993),
Ballinger (2002), Nejašmić (2014) or Šarić (2015).
71
