Historical background to Pazin
983 was the year when Pazin was first mentioned in a document of Emperor Otto II. In that period Pazin was just the castle which had the square tower, bulwarks that also encompassed the surrounding houses and a Romanesque chapel consecrated to the Madonna. In other words, it was a great feudal estate. In 1374 it became a Habsburg property.
In the Middle ages, some new fortifications were added to the castle. The current town was mostly built around a fort (Kaštel) rebuilt in the 15th and 16th century. Through the 18th and 19th century the fortifications were remodeled, the bulwarks around the plateau and the top of the square tower were demolished. From then on, the city became open toward the city.
After world II, the Kaštel castle was used as the Ethnographic Museum of Istria, the Museum of the City of Pazin and the Depot of the Historical Archives.
The Pazin pit (Pazinska jama) located under the Kaštel castle is the most beautiful example of karstic hydrography and morphology in Istria. All of Pazin’s beauties were an inspiration to the famous French writer Jules Verne for the novel "Mathias Sandorf" (1885.)