Motovun

The Parenzana, a narrow-gauge railroad that ran from Trieste to Poreč between 1902 and 1935, passed below the town.

• Name — Motovun • Official Name — Motovun Municipality Općina Motovun – Comune di Montona • Other Name — Montona • Settlement Type — Municipality • Image Skyline — Aerial view to Motovun.jpg • Image Caption — Aerial view • Image Map — Motovun map.GIF • Map Caption — Location of Motovun in Istria • Pushpin Map — Croatia • Pushpin Label Position — bottom • Mapframe — yes • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Type1 — County • Subdivision Name1 — Istria County • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Tomislav Pahović • Unit Pref — Imperial • Area Total Km2 — 32.7 • Area Urban Km2 — 13.7 • Elevation M — 277 • Population As Of — 2021 • Population Total — 912 • Population Density Km2 — auto • Population Urban — 397 • Population Density Urban Km2 — auto • Timezone — CET • Timezone Dst — CEST • Utc Offset — +1 • Utc Offset Dst — +2 • Postal Code Type — Postal code • Postal Code — 52424 Motovun • Area Code — 52 • Website — motovun.hr Motovun (Montona or Montona d'Istria) is a village and a municipality in central Istria, west Croatia. In ancient times, both Celts and Illyrians built their fortresses at the location of present-day Motovun. The name of the village is also of Celtic origin, derived from Montona, meaning "a town in the hills". The Parenzana, a narrow-gauge railroad that ran from Trieste to Poreč between 1902 and 1935, passed below the town.

• Illustration — The old church in Motovun • Illustration — Parish Church of St. Stephen, a view from the Mure Street • Illustration — Street fruit and vegetable vendor in Motovun The late-Renaissance church of St. Stephen (Sveti Stjepan) was built at the beginning of the 17th century from sketches probably designed by the well-known Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). The church contains several works of art: the marble statues of St. Stephen and St. Laurence by Francesco Bonazzo and the 17th-century painting of the Last Supper over the altar by an unknown Venetian artist. The water cisterns in the square in front of the church date from the 14th and 15th centuries.

The river Mirna or Quieto flows below the hill and on the other side of the river is the famous Motovun forest, an area of about 10 km2 in the valley of the river Mirna, of which 280 ha is specially protected. This area differs completely not only from the nearby forests, but also from those of the entire surrounding karst region because of its wildlife, moist soil and prized black and white truffles (Tuber magnatum), which grow successfully there. Since this fungus grows underground, it is gathered with the aid of specially trained dogs. The most common tree in the forest is the English or brown oak (Quercus robur). To preserve natural conditions for the development of the Motovun forest, the protected area is occasionally flooded, even though the River Mirna is controlled and its entire valley protected from flooding. On the slopes of the hill, grapes for famous Istrian wines are grown: the Teran and the Malvazija wine.

Motovun is known among today's population of Istria as the city of Veli Jože, the good gentle giant, written by the nationalist Vladimir Nazor, one of the most important Croatian writers of the 20th century. The story was based on local folktales as a response to the national struggles of the Croats for equality with the politically dominant ethnic German and Italian community (1900–1914). The tale is known today throughout Croatia, while the character of Veli Jože is quite correctly linked with the city.

• Illustration — View from Motovun walls • Illustration — Andrea Antico Square Since 1999, Motovun has hosted the international Motovun Film Festival for independent and avant-garde films from the U.S. and Europe. The biggest current local issue is the battle between foreign developers, who have proposed two 18-hole golf courses and a 500+-bed resort in the valley below the town, extending the existing 9-hole course and some of the local community, who are opposed to the proposals because of objections against the real estate speculation around the project, rejection of 123 building sites for villas in the protected natural environment and concerns about possible damage to their truffles growing on the other side of the river. The community is divided on the issue, as many welcome the development as a year-round aid to jobs and local tourist revenues. An environmental impact study has now been completed. Motovun's ground plan was depicted on the reverse of the Croatian 10 kuna banknote, issued in 1993, 1995, 2001 and 2004.

According to the 2021 census, its population was 912, with 397 living in the settlement of Motovun itself. The municipality consists of the following settlements: • Brkač, population 223 • Kaldir, population 228 • Motovun, population 397 • Sveti Bartol, population 64 The population of the village itself was 531, with a total of 983 residents in the municipality in 2001; 192 residents spoke Italian as their mother tongue.

Although though the Government of the Republic of Croatia does not guarantee official Croatian-Italian bilinguialism here, the statute of Motovun-Montona itself does.

• Motovun is the birthplace of racing driver Mario Andretti and his twin brother Aldo in 1940. The brothers raced hand-crafted wooden cars through the steep streets. After World War II Istria became a part of Croatia, a sovereign constituent unit of Yugoslavia. His family, like many other ethnic Italians, emigrated. They lived in a camp near Lucca from 1948 to 1955. The Andretti family resettled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, United States. • Motovun was also the birthplace in 1495 of prominent Renaissance Italian music printer Andrea Antico, famous as the inventor of the first movable wooden types for printing musical scores. He started publishing in Rome in 1510 and after obtaining a patent from Pope Leo X he published polyphonic music and music for organ.

• American film Speak No Evil starring James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis was filmed in Motovun, representing the Toscany in Italy.