Labinština

Labinština Peninsula in Istria County, Croatia

The borders of the Labinština Peninsula are made up of the Arsa/Raša river, which starts in the lake Cosliaco / Cepich the only lake in the Istrian County, on the west and south, and the gulf of Quarnaro / Kvarner Croatian: Kvarnerski zaljev, Italian: Golfo del Quarnaro / Kvarner Gulf on the east and south. This Lake was being fed by the Croatian: Planinski masiv Učka, mountain range located just east of valle dell'Arsa, near Croatian: Opatija / Italian: Abbazia and the eastern coast of Istria. Italian: Monte Maggiore, Croatian: Vojak being the highest peak. The Romans used this mountain range water source, and the Cepich lake, to feed major cities, from Albona/Labin on the east side of Istria, to the city of Pola on the tip of Istria. Lake Cepich was emptied and dried in the mid-1900s to get rid of malaria-causing swamps. The lake bed became good agricultural land. Albona / Labin, was the head of the territory and townships of the Labinština peninsula. In 1632, the territory was divided into 12 townships called Comuni (municipalities), Ville (hamlets), Contrade (districts) and Parishes which were the heads of districts before the organization of municipalities). Before the division there were only four Parish branches controlling the peninsula.

The Comuni before 1632

The person who was the head of each Commune or Contrada was called Zuppan and was elected to the position. One of the head townships (Head Commune) was the city of Albona; the other was the city of Fianona. Before 1600 there were only two Head Communes in the Labinšćina. In 1632, under the Venice Republic, and in 1800, under Austria-Hungary, control over the other townships in the Labinšćina peninsula was changed. Twelve townships (Contrade) were mapped in the Labinšćina Peninsula. These twelve communes were placed under the control of Albona, the Head Commune.

Albona Republic

Roman soldiers built military roads starting in Rome, capital of the Roman Empire, continuing in every direction across the Empire. One of the roads came across Istria County and then branched to major cities. This road came through the city of Barban. The Romans built a bridge across the Raša River in Istria County. The road continued through Albona/Labin toward Dalmatia. The Romans built Aqueducts in Istria and other parts of the Roman Empire. Učka mountain (Monte Maggiore) is the largest mountain in Istria, located in the Ćićarija (Ciceria) mountain range on the east side of the Istrian peninsula. From this mountain range, water was transported to many cities by Roman aqueducts. The city of Pula (Pola) on the southern tip of Istria was the summer home of the Emperors and Caesar family who also built the Amphitheater, also known as the Arena. The Aqueducts were made of lead pipes and tubes to transport and direct water to various places in Istria. Using aqueducts as a way of transporting water where it was needed had been used across the vast Roman Empire for many centuries.

The following inscriptions in the church of S.Sabastian's altar was written on the marble tile. Latin: M-IVLIO SEVERO FILIPPO NOBILISSIMO CAESARI NOBILISSIMO PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS RESPVBLICA ALBONESSIVM (Italian: Marco Iulio Severo Filippo nobilissimo Caesare nobilissimo Principe (ivventvtis) Albona Republica, English: Mark Gulio Severo Filippo most noble Caesar most noble Prince (ivventvtis) Albona Republic)

. On page 383 we read- "One of the noble family named Luciani settled in the classical Republica Albonesium, the only classical Istrian Republic, as early as the 14th century".

Austrian Littoral (Istria County)

The Austrian Littoral was formed in 1813 from coastal territories which were controlled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Littoral included the cities of: Trieste, Gorizia and Gradisca, Fiume, the Istrian peninsula, the Kvarner (Quarnero) Islands, and Croatia that was not under military control. This gave Austria control of the major ports on the Kvarner Gulf. Austria began mapping the Littoral for agricultural and tax purposes. The Territory was divided into agricultural fractions. All the parcels were surveyed and mapped to show ownership. Each parcel of land was classified starting from class "I" as the best arable land, to the least arable land, and so-noted on the maps. Grains were harvested, and each type was noted showing yield per acre. The census, surveying, classification of land and forests, and all other noted yields of grain and animals, was completed in 1837.

Townships or Ville in Labinština, Istria County in the 1800

The townships of the territory of Albona were as follows with the city of ALBONA / LABIN as the Head Commune or capo comune of the territory:

Cerovica (Istria)

The township Croatian: Cerovica / Italian: Cerovizza is bordered on the east by the sea of Quarnero from S.Martino to Brovinje; to the North by the Township Chermenizza; and to the East by the Township Croatian: Vlahovo. The head hamlet of the Township of Cerovica was Croatian: Skitača Italian: Schitazza which is located approximately 4 km north-east of Brovinje. In the hamlet of Skitača is the chapel of Saint Lucy of Albona which became a parish church for all of the Township of Cerovica. The small chapel was built in 1616 and became a Parish in 1632. The last time it was renovated was in the 1990s.

Hamlets in the Township of Cerovica (Istria) in the 1800

There were no villages in Cerovica in the 1800s, only hamlets and small settlements with a few houses. A Village is a group of houses in the country larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a city or town having a market. In the hamlet of Prodol there was a coal mine which employed between four and six men daily. The people of the hamlet of Brovinje near the sea were fishermen and farmers. The names of these hamlets were German in the 1800s. Between 1918 and 1945 the names were changed to Italian. After 1945, the names were changed again, this time to Croatian. Some hamlets joined with other very close hamlets or fractions to form a brand new name or using only one name for the group.

Links to Labinština