History Pazin - Historical and Cultural Information About Pazin
Pazin was first mentioned in the year 983 in a document of Emperor Otto II. In that period Pazin was just a 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 part of Habsburg property.
In the Middle ages, some new fortifications were added to the castle. The current town was mostly built around a fort (Kastel) and 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.
After World War II, the Kastel 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's pit (Pazinska jama) located under the Kastel castle is the most beautiful example of 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.)
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