About Kastav
“It grew on the hills, covered with ivy, my Kastav…”
It is situated on the 365 m height above sea level, on an elevation in the form of an acropolis, which dominates the surroundings, and which offers one of the most spectacular views on Kvarner, the islands, Učka and the background. Numerous monuments speak about its rich and complex history, which dates back to pre-historic times. The street that leads towards the city centre passes by the bastion, nowadays a park with a view on Kvarner, named Fortica. Renaissance city lodge, the biggest in the Croatian coastal region, is found in the square in front of the city entrance. The city gate, renovated under Jesuit direction in the 18th century, takes one toward the old city centre all the way to Žudika, the highest fort of the Kastav Middle Age wall of the fortress.
The Parish Church of St. Jelena Križarica dominates the view on Kastav. Originally a Middle Age building was transformed into a Baroque style in the 18th century. Of particular interest is an arcaded hall below the south nave, where the tombs of the renowned Kastav families are placed. After demolishing the old church tower, which functioned as a defence-tower, a new one was built in 1724 as an individual object. The ruins of the walls of the Church of Mary’s Assumption, popularly known as Crekvina, are situated on the east side of Kastav. The building of the magnificent church, initiated under Jesuit direction over Kastav manor, was cancelled in 1733 because of the abolition of order.
In the central Lokvina Square, where the water container is placed, the emphasis is on the castle which accommodated a captain and occasionally the army personnel. During the 19th century, the building lost its Middle Age characteristics because of the reconstructions. The Church of Holy Trinity dates from the 15th century; nowadays it functions as an exhibition space, situated on the highest boundary of Lokvina.
Kastav had an extremely important role during Croatian-Istrian national reformation. The first Croatian reading-room in Istria was opened in 1866 in Kastav. Its members were prominent representatives of the second generation of reformers: Matko Laginja, Vjekoslav Spinčić and Matko Mandić, all born in Kastav region. An eminent place in the cultural history of this region belongs to the writer Vladimir Nazor, who resided in Kastav from 1908 to 1918 as the headmaster and professor of the Teacher’s School. The preciousness of the unmaterial heritage is represented by the Istrian scale, which was proposed for UNESCO’s list of global heritage, and was theoretically explained by the composer and folklorist Ivan Matetić Ronjgov from Ronjgi nearby Kastav.
Handicraft trades were present in Kastav from times immemorial, and the craft was carried over within a family, from generation to generation. The development of Rijeka and Opatija increased the need for qualified labour. Only two years after the opening of the first manual trade school in Zageb, a ˝Worker’s School˝ was established in Kastav in 1885. Its students were from Kastav area, Istria and the islands. The school gave birth to widely known masters, coopers, carpenters, tailors, blacksmiths, stonemasons, and house painters. Due to spirit of the Worker’s School and artisans, Kastav visitors can nowadays view mini museum collections and renovated manual trade workshops.
In collaboration with the Museum Collection of Kastav Region and with the support of numerous local enthusiasts, the association Kastav Cultural Summer runs a project with an aim to preserve the cultural identity of Kastav, especially the trades which have been disappearing before mass industrial production, as a consequence of technological advancement and economic shifts. To this day, the cooper and coppersmith’s collections, as well as a blacksmith’s workshop in private ownership have been renovated and presented to the public.
The need for spiritual and material creativity is still alive in Kastav today. The numerous associations which have been enriching cultural and tourist offer in Kastav through their activities, previous 15 Kastav Cultural Summer festivals were the reason why Kastav was visited by 120 000 visitors.
The museum journey of ‘mini museum manual trade collections’ next to the Museum Collection of Kastav region looks after the identity of the proud city ‘on the hills’, and offers its visitors an authentic experience and an unique reflection of people’s lives and the region, which even today is still deeply connected with the tradition.
With good wine and a melodic a capella song, we saw off many guests from Kastav, and welcomed them again.