 The
old town of Mošćenice is one of the best preserved towns on the east
coast of Istria. It was built on a 173 m high hill, above Moscenicka
Draga. Even today it looks like a medieval place. The concentric outer
circle of houses once served as the town walls. The original
architecture with the passages, arches and stairways that were carefully
built to maximize the use of space is the symbol of the town. It
is hard to describe the atmosphere of this old town with all its
narrow streets, passages, stairways, balconies, small windows and arches
that were mostly done during the 13th and 14th century and remained the
same until today. |
 In
the past, Mošćenice was far more important for this area. It was the
center of administrative and executive authority. In time, that power
lessened, but even today, when people of Draga and surrounding villages
go to Mošćenice, they still say they are going "to town".
Mošćenice and Moscenicka Draga are connected by an asphalt road or, for those in good shape, by 753 steps which begin at the foot of the hill on the beach of Sveti Ivan. Surrounding Mošćenice, there are about 40 small villages and hamlets connected among themselves and to Mošćenice by narrow roads and paths. Although few people live there today, the villages haven't lost their original appeal and beauty. |
| At the Ethnographic Museum of Mošćenice there are many historical exhibits and information about the beginnings and development of Mošćenice, as well as information about the way people lived in past times. Careful observer will be able to notice the details from the past outside the museum, too. The most interesting details are the stony mill for grinding olives called "tos" and the old water well hidden in a small yard. The chains, used for pulling up the water, left the marks on the edges as the testimony of the past times and the people who dwelled here. |
|
This church has a historical significance. During the feudalistic period, the appointments of the governors, judges, captains and heads of Mošćenice Commune were held here, under its porch. Below the church there was so-called "the place of trial" where they used to put peasants on court for minor crimes. The court was held under the special kind of tree called "ladonja", at the governor's desk according to the Law of Mošćenice, written in 1626. |
The
Latin inscription above the town gate says the gates were built in 1634 by the
Commune of Mošćenice, although they had existed long before. The event
is connected with Jesuits, the rulers of Kastav in 1634, taking over
Mošćenice.