Umag (Italian: Umago) is a town in Istria County, Croatia. Umag
is a town on the western Istrian coast, only 10 km from the
Slovenian border and along Savudrija is the westernmost place in the
Republic of Croatia.
Near Umag there is a place Valica
(Italian Valizza) surrounded by beautiful nature, and close to the
beach Kanegre with the cleanest sea for swimming in Istria. There is
also the Dragonja River, and the Sečovlje International Airport is
close by.
Although there is no doubt that Umag existed even during the
Roman Empire, the first mention of the city in chronicles dates back
to the 7th century. In the 7th-8th centuries, Umag was ruled by
Byzantium, which was then replaced by the Franks, and then by local
princes.
The growing power of the Venetian Republic led to
the gradual annexation of Istria to Venice. In 1269 Umag recognized
the power of the Venetians, who ruled the city for over 500 years.
In 1370 the city was badly damaged during the war between Venice and
Genoa.
After the fall of Venice in 1797, Umag was annexed to
Austria. In the period 1805-1813, the city was controlled by
Napoleonic troops, and in 1813 the city again ceded to Austria.
After World War I, Umag, along with the entire Istrian
peninsula, passed to Italy, while the rest of Dalmatia became part
of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later the Kingdom of
Yugoslavia.
After World War II, Umag became part of the
so-called Zone "B" of the free territory of Trieste, which was
controlled by Yugoslavia, after which a significant part of the
Italian population of the city emigrated to Italy. In 1954 the free
territory of Trieste ceased to exist and Umag became part of
Yugoslavia. After the collapse of the latter in 1991, the city
became part of an independent Croatia.
Old Town - the turbulent history of the city influenced its
architecture - the buildings of late antiquity and the beginning of
the Middle Ages have not survived to our time. However, the city has
numerous evidences of the Middle Ages - fortified walls, Venetian
villas and, above all, picturesque narrow streets. One of the oldest
towers is well preserved - the western one, which now houses the
city museum.
The Church of Saint Rock, the main attraction of the
city, was built in 1514.
City Museum - located in the historic
center of the city. Has a large collection of archaeological finds
made during excavations in the city.
Church of St. Peregrine is a
small ancient temple built by the inhabitants of the city, located
near Umag on Cape Rosatso.
Lighthouse in Savudrija is the oldest
lighthouse on the Adriatic, built in 1818. Light emanating from a
source located at an altitude of 36 meters is visible at a distance
of 32 km. The construction of the building is connected with the
love story of Count Matternich, who, despite his position as a
married man, fell in love with a local girl, in whose honor the
lighthouse was built.
Remains of Sipar - not far from Umag, at
low tide, you can see a cape 200 meters long and 50 meters wide,
consisting of a pile of stones - these are the remains of the
ancient fort Sipar, the construction of which dates back to the 5th
century. Sipar existed on this site during the Roman Empire, as
evidenced by the foundations of villas and houses, as well as
household items, coins and ancient mosaics. Sipar was completely
plundered and destroyed in 876 by pirates led by Domagoya. Now this
cape is an unofficial nudist beach.
Villa Tiola is a real
paradise for divers. This luxurious villa is richly decorated with
mosaics and frescoes on the walls. The remains of a 30-meter pier,
which is about 6 meters wide, can be seen in the sea not far from
the villa, and the fragments of a huge building located nearby,
according to experts, belong to another villa.
Umag is a town on the western coast of Istria, just 10 km from the
border with Slovenia, near Savudrija, it is the westernmost place in the
Republic of Croatia.
Near Umag is Valica (Italian: Valizza),
surrounded by beautiful nature, and nearby is the Kanegre beach with the
cleanest sea for swimming in Istria. The Dragonja River also flows here,
and Sečovlje International Airport is nearby.
According to the 2001 census, it has a population of 12,901 people,
with a population density of 155 people per square kilometer.
According to the 2011 census, the city of Umag and its administratively
adjacent settlements had a population of 13,467 people. According to the
2011 census, 7,281 people lived in the city of Umag alone.
The city administration includes the following administrative bodies:
Mayor's Office
Legal Affairs Office
Administrative departments:
Administrative Department of Social Activities, Administrative
Department of Spatial Planning and Municipal Activities, Administrative
Department of Finance and Economy, Administrative Department of General
Administration and Logistics.
Internal Audit and Budget Control
Service
Umag is a very touristic place. Natural beauty and geographical
location have been decisive for the development of tourism.
The
development of tourism is directly related to the development of
agriculture. Fertile soil is especially suitable for growing olives and
grapes, traditional crops characteristic of the Mediterranean climate.
Winemaking has developed along with grape growing. Istrian wines are
widely known and appreciated, and their producers are part of the wine
road of this region.
Agritourism, although still an economic
sector on the rise, attracts more and more tourists who are looking for
unusual and unusual landscapes and places.
Ivo Balentović, writer
Lino Červar, handball coach
Slavko
Juraga, actor
Slavko Rasberger, entrepreneur
Vanja Rupena, model
and TV presenter, Miss Croatia 1996.
Martina Tomčić, opera singer
Fulvio Tomizza, writer
Neven Ušumović, writer
Alka Vujica,
musician
Nenad Čirjak, musician
Daglaš Korača, dean of the
Polytechnic of Istria, Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of
Croatia from 2014 to 2016.
Marko Purisić, singer, songwriter and
music producer
The Ante Babić Public Open University is the temple of cultural
events in Umag. It is trusted to organize the most important events in
the field of art and culture.
The International Literary
Symposium "Tomizza and Us - Meetings Along the Border", which was first
held in 2000 and is dedicated to the works of Fulvio Tomizza, is
supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the
County of Istria and the City of Umag. The holder of the organization in
Croatia is the Umag City Library.
The headquarters of the
Community of Italians, a library, a reading room, a cinema and a primary
music school are located in the building of the National Open
University.
The Umag City Museum is located in the old part of
the city, in a medieval tower from the 14th-15th centuries. The museum
preserves the history of Umag in 6 collections: numismatic, cultural and
historical, archaeological, artistic, photo and postcard collections.
The tower - the exhibition area of the museum is currently undergoing
reconstruction. The museum also preserves the historical symbol of Umag
- a bronze earring from the early Middle Ages, which the expert
community has assessed as a type of "Umag" due to its uniqueness.
The artists' works can be seen in the galleries:
Marin
Dante
Marino Cetina Gallery
The summer months are reserved for chamber
theatre, that is, for the Golden Lion Chamber Theatre Festival, first
shown to the public in 2000. The visiting theatre companies are solid
names from Croatia, neighboring Slovenia, Italy, Serbia and Montenegro.
Organum Histriae (formerly the Istrian Organ Days) dates back to
1998 and is a project for the protection and restoration of the organ
and its music not only in Istria, but also in Slovenia and Italy. The
event is organized by Lifestyle from Umag. It is held in several
directions: concerts, competitions, organ heritage research,
professional lectures, exhibitions.
The industrial metal band
Omega Lithium also hails from Umag.
The Islamic Cultural Center
was opened on April 28, 2018.