Poreć travel guide

Background

Founded as a Roman castrum (military camp) in the second century BC, Poreč was later granted the status of a municipality, to become Colonia Julia Parentium in the first century BC. The layout of the old town still follows the original Roman plan, though most of the present buildings date from between the 13th and 18th centuries. The settlement became the seat of a diocese in the late third century AD, the first Bishop of Poreč being the martyr St Mauro, who like so many early Christians met a bloody end during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.

Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, Poreč passed successively under the Ostrogoths, the Byzantine Empire, the Franks and the Aquilean patriarch. In 1267, it was the first of the cities on the Istrian coast to come under the Venetian Republic. Despite its rather grand past, it gradually sank into decline, mainly due to several severe outbreaks of the plague, which decimated the population between the 14th and 17th centuries, so that by 1646 there were only about 100 inhabitants. During the second half of the 17th century, Venice repopulated the city and its surroundings with settlers from Dalmatia, Albania and the Greek island of Crete.

After the fall of the Venetian Republic, along with the rest of Istria, it came under Austria. In 1844, the steamship society Austrian Lloyd from Trieste set up a line for day trippers to Poreč, and in 1845 the first tourist guide to the city was published. During the 1970s it became Istria’s principal resort, following the construction of several vast hotel complexes along the coast.

Poreć

Bus

The bus station is at Rade Končara 1, a 5-min walk from the old town, T052-432153. There are 12 buses daily to Pula (1½ hrs) and 6 to Rovinj (45 mins). To reach Italy, a morning service runs from Pula to Trieste, stopping in Rovinj and Poreč en route.

Car

Budget, Obala bb, T052-451188, http://www.budget.hr; Hertz, Aldo Negri 1, T052-091-3108691, http://www.hertz.hr.

Ferry

Venezia Lines operate a daily fast ferry service (foot passengers only) between Venice (Italy) and Rovinj, stopping at Poreč en route, late Apr to early Oct.

Poreć

Internet

Internet-Centar-Cybermac, Mira Grahalića 1, T052-427075, http://www.cybermac.hr.

Medical services

Hitna Pomoc, Dom Zdravlja, M Gioseffija 2, T052-451611, emergency treatment. 2 central pharmacies take turns to work extended hours: Centralna Ljekarna, M Gioseffija 2, T052- 434950; Gradska Ljekarna, Trg Slobode 12, T052- 432362.

Post offices

Vukovarska 17, Mon-Fri 0700-2000, Sat 0700-1400.