Barban

Barban Barbana, Barbon
Municipality
Barban Municipality Općina Barban
Flag
Location of Barban municipality in Istria
Barban
Coordinates: 45°06′N 14°01′E
Country	Croatia
County	Istria
Government
• Municipal mayor	Dalibor Paus (IDS)
Area
• Municipality	90.5 km2 (34.9 sq mi)
• Urban	4.0 km2 (1.5 sq mi)
Elevation	229 m (751 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Municipality	2,491
• Density	28/km2 (71/sq mi)
• Urban	218
• Urban density	55/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	52207 Barban
Area code	52
Website	barban.hr

Barban (Italian: Barbana, Čakavian Barbon, or Brban) is a small town and municipality in the southern part of eastern Istria, Croatia.

The municipality of Barban covers an area of around 100 km² and contains 23 settlements with a total of 2,491 people.

History

The site of a Bronze Age prehistoric hill fort, human remains have been found on the site that dates back approximately 3,400-4,000 years back. The name Barban appears for the first time in an ecclesiastic document dated 740 A.D. In the Middle Ages, the town was fortified while under control of feudal lords from Pazin, and parts of those medieval fortifications can still be seen. In the second half of the 13th century, having been depopulated by the plague in 1312, a small colony of Dalmatians from Finodol settled in the area, brought by the counts of Gorizia.

In 1374, upon the death of Albert IV, Count of Pazin, it became a full Habsburg possession, before being taken over by the Republic of Venice in the 16th century. The Loredan noble family bought Barban from the counts in Pazin in 1535.

In the main square, which is reached by passing through Velika Vrata (the Great Gate, 1718), stands the St. Nicholas parish church with baroque altars and paintings by Venetian masters from the 16th-18th centuries, a Late Gothic stone tabernacle, and wooden baroque sculptures.

Demographics

In 2021, the municipality had 2,491 residents in the following 23 settlements:

• Barban, population 218
• Bičići, population 69
• Borinići, population 5
• Draguzeti, population 75
• Glavani, population 77
• Grandići, population 122
• Hrboki, population 159
• Jurićev Kal, population 44
• Koromani, population 50
• Kožljani, population 49
• Manjadvorci, population 165
• Melnica, population 175
• Orihi, population 101
• Petehi, population 90
• Prhati, population 135
• Puntera, population 67
• Rajki, population 6
• Rebići, population 118
• Rojnići, population 47
• Sutivanac, population 333
• Šajini, population 175
• Vadreš, population 56
• Želiski, population 155

Barban: Population trends 1857–2021

v

population	2123	2614	2771	2745	2932	3418	3899	4320	4300	4291	4107	3561	3014	2983	2802	2721	2491
	1857	1869	1880	1890	1900	1910	1921	1931	1948	1953	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011	2021

Sources:Croatian Bureau of Statistics publications

In 2011, out of 2,721 people, 75% were Croats. The town of Barban itself had a population of 221.

Prstenac tournament

2012 Prstenac tournament

An equestrian tournament, known as Trka na prstenac and very similar to Sinjska alka, is held in Barban on the third Sunday in August. It is a medieval jousting game that goes back to 1696 in Barban, but it is much older in origins and is otherwise celebrated in various forms in several medieval towns in Italy today. This tradition draws tourists and spectators in great numbers in a lively and popular celebration.

Sources

• Trka na prstenac (in Croatian)

External links

• Official website (in Croatian)
• Town of Barban at Istrianet.org