Hum – Roč – Kotli – three stone towns in the northern part of Istria
At the Mirna River’s source, on top of an emerald green hill, one can find one of the smallest cities in the world, Hum. The city itself is a mere 3,000 square meters. It features a citadel, beautiful churches, narrow streets and is home to a stone Glagolitic which is more than 600 years old.
Today, centuries after the tradition began, the residents of Hum still choose a prefect for the town around a table carved from stone hundreds of years ago. One step into Hum and one feels as if they have been transported back in time to an era when things were less complicated then they are today.
Hum, Istria, Croatia
Nearby Hum, you will find another small town with 5 medieval towers. This is the town of Roč and it too features Glagolitic stone inscriptions hundreds of years old. There are many Roman villas still standing today in Roč, along with a number of ancient churches.
There is also an 800 year old book written entirely in Glagolitic kept safely within Roč. Nearby is the Glagolitic Alley which leads one from Roč to Hum and is lined with 10 ancient stone sculptures.
Roč, Istria, Croatia
Kotli is the village for which most of the residents of both Hum and Roč reside. This ancient village was said to have been first settled as far back as 400 BC when the Celts arrived to the region. However, the area has been inhabited as far back as the Neolithic age with multiple artifacts having been discovered in the area.
Throughout the centuries, Kotli has stood and protected the Glagolitic culture and its alphabet. Only 28 years after the Guttenberg Bible was printed, the Glagolitic alphabet was to become the first Croatian book and today it is still kept safe deep within the walls of the city, Hum.
