Country Croatia Time zone CET (UTC+1) Website www.novigrad.hr Population 4,345 (2011) Area code 052 | County Istria Postal code 52 466 Area 27 km² Local time Monday 2:33 PM | |
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Weather 19°C, Wind SE at 13 km/h, 58% Humidity Points of interest Museo Lapidario, Gallerion ‑ KuK‑Marine‑Museum, Patricijska palača Rigo | ||
Novigrad (Italian: Cittanova or Cittanova d'Istria) is a town and a municipality in Istria County in western Croatia. In Croatian it is also sometimes referred to as Novigrad Istarski to distinguish it from three other Croatian towns of the same name.
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Map of Novigrad, Croatia
Novigrad is set on a small peninsula on the western coast of Istria, two kilometres north of the mouth of the river Mirna and some 25 km south of the border with Slovenia. At the 2011 census the town proper had a population of 2,622, while the entire municipality – which also includes four nearby villages – had 4,345 inhabitants. 66% of population were ethnic Croats while the biggest minority group were Istrian Italians (10%).
History
There was an ancient city in the broad area of what is now Novigrad, which was called Aemona. In the 5th-6th centuries Novigrad was called Neapolis (Greek Νεάπολις). From the early Middle Ages and right up until 1828 it was the seat of a bishopric that has been identified with the ancient see of Aemona. From 1270 it was under the rule of the Venetian Republic, which gave it the Italian name of Cittanova, until Venice fell in the late 18th century.
Novigrad today
Situated on a peninsula, Novigrad has retained its medieval structure and layout, with narrow, winding streets and small shops. The fortifications belong to the medieval era: the town wall still stands with its battlements and two round towers. There are examples of secular architecture from the time of the Venetian empire, such as the town loggia and several houses built in Venetian Gothic style.
The present church was built in the 15th and 16th centuries on the foundations of the 8th-century basilica of Saint Pelagius that had a nave and two aisles. Under the present presbytery is a late Romanesque crypt. In the sacristy are 15th-century antiphonaries with beautiful simple initials.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Novigrad had 2,622 residents, with a total municipal population of 4,345. Croats comprised 66.42% of the total population, followed by Italians (10.20%), Albanians (3.36%), Serbs (2.83%), and Slovenes (2.09%), while 10.66% of the population was regionally affiliated. Italians in Novigrad are organised in an association with the objective of preserving and promoting the specificity of the Italian community.