Brijuni

A pleasant cruise along the western coast of Istria, past Vrsar, Lim channel and Rovinj, will take you to Brioni, an archipelago which was declared a National park and Memorial centre. The three-hour program includes visits to exhibitions, photo safari, ethnographic and archeological collection and sightseeing of the ruins of a Roman palace.

History of Brijuni

Situated a few kilometers to the west from the Istrian coast, facing Fažana, the Brioni or Brijuni archipelago consist of 14 islands and islets with total surface of 36,3 square km(out of which 80% goes to the local waters of Brijuni)
Two biggest islands are Veliki Brijun (7 square km) and Mali Brijun (1,7 square km). Brijuni boast a rich history. The first known traces of human activity on Brijuni date back to the third century BC, when the islands were inhabited by an ethnically undistinguished population that worked in fields, raised cattle, hunted and caught fish, made tools and weapons from stone, bones and brushwood…During the great movement of the peoples in the first century BC, there came the Illyrian tribe Histri, which Istria was named after. Celts and Romans followed, while Croats arrived in the 7th century. Among many cultural-historical remains on Brijuni the best known and preserved are: the Roman country house with thermae from 1st- 2nd century, Venus’ temple, Byzantium castrum, basilica of St. Mary from 5th - 6th century, St. German’s’ church from the 15th century.

Brijuni are a favorite tourist destination, often labeled as “paradise on earth”, and owing to its well-indented coast, history, diverse flora and fauna, they were declared a National park on the 27th of October in 1983.