In the Municipality of Cerovlje, history can be read in many different traces: in a settlement rebuilt according to a carefully laid plan after a fire, in churches with frescoes and Glagolitic inscriptions, and in the centuries-old brickmaking tradition of Borut. Festive traditions, hills and trails add specific reasons to these historical discoveries to get to know the municipality from different perspectives.

Churches and local histories

After the former settlement was destroyed by a fire during the Uskok War of 1615 to 1618, Draguć was rebuilt according to a precise plan. The Church of St. Elijah is a Romanesque building dating from the end of the 12th century, constructed from two-coloured stone blocks; the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary was built in 1641. Different periods of construction stand side by side in the village: a Romanesque religious building and a 17th-century church.

The Church of All Saints links the settlements of Gradinje and was built in 1604. Beneath layers of plaster, it contains frescoes and Glagolitic graffiti. In Cerovlje, the Church of the Holy Trinity dates from the 15th century and contains remnants of frescoes from the time it was built. Near Moloni stands the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, with a Romanesque semicircular sanctuary dating from the 13th century. It also features stone statues of St. Michael, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.

Two periods of construction can also be distinguished in Pazinski Novaki: the parish Church of St. Michael the Archangel was built in the 17th century, while the Church of St. Roch dates from the 15th century. In Gologorica, the Romanesque Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary has Gothic frescoes painted around 1400 by an unknown artist. You enter Gologorica through Vela vrata, which formerly served as the main gate. The De Franceschi House was built in 1711.

The Church of the Holy Spirit stands by Borut railway station. A Glagolitic inscription above the entrance shows that it was restored in 1560. Here, the script is linked to a specific date of construction, revealing another aspect of the region’s church history.

Crafts and feast days

Brickmaking was carried out in Borut for centuries. Local people shaped clay by hand from the Borut stream and fired it in field kilns known as “frnaže”. This traditional process, from local raw material to fired brick, adds a history of craftsmanship to the architectural history of the churches.

Festive traditions also offer specific dates, though they follow different calendar rules. In Draguć, Bajs players gather every year on the third Sunday in June for the gathering “Z bajson u Draguć”. The recurring gathering of traditional musicians “Nadalinu u pohode” takes place in Pagubice on 13 June. Check the dates for the current year. At the beginning of the year, Cerovlje hosts a traditional carnival with colourful parades of masked groups from central Istria; its dates change every year.

Landscape, trails and navigation

Cerovlje is the central settlement of an extensive municipality stretching northeast of Pazin across a hilly landscape. The ponds of Cerovlje offer green surroundings for a walk or a picnic. Grimalda is a viewpoint in central Istria, atop a hill 447 metres high. The landscape of the ponds of Cerovlje, with their green surroundings for walking or picnicking, contrasts with the 447-metre-high hill of Grimalda, which serves as a viewpoint.

An equipped picnic area is located on Sveti Antun hill above Pagubice. It can be reached via a hiking trail connecting Grdoselo–Zelengrad and Grimalda. The Trail of Waterfalls (614) cycle route climbs from Pagubice to Cerovlje and then continues towards Pazin. For a hike, the Path of St. Kocijan starts at Borut railway station and is 13 kilometres long. The routes differ in their starting points and means of travel: you travel on foot along the hiking trails and by bicycle on the Trail of Waterfalls (614). Check trail conditions before setting out.

The Castle of Paz is another visible trace of history: its remains are on the hill above the settlement. Paz lies on the route leading from the Učka Mountains and the Boljun Field through the gorges to Pazin. In Cerovlje, the history of the railway tells a different story of navigation: when the line from Divača to Pula was built, the settlement received a pumping station for steam locomotives in 1876, where they were supplied with water and coal.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Cerovlje, Draguc, Borut, Gologorica, Novaki Pazinski, Korelići, Paz, Grimalda, Previž.

Return to the regional travel overview: Istria County.