Eco postcard of the region Let’s take a tour around Labin!

LOCATION --TheThe Istrian Region includes a large part of IstriaIstria——thethe largest Adriatic peninsula. The most extreme west point of the Republic of is in the Istrian Region at the 4545°°ofof the northern latitude.

Situated in the northnorth--westwest of the , is surrounded by the sea from three sides, while the northern border towards the continent is made up by a line between the Miljski Bay (Muggia) in the direct vicinity of Trieste and the Preluk Bay, right next to .

Such favourable geographic position, almost at the heart of Europe, half way between the Equator and the North Pole, Istria has always represented a bridge connecting the Middle European continental area with the Mediterranean. CLIMATE --TheThe basic characteristic of the climate of the Istrian peninsula is given by the Mediterranean climate. Along the coast, it gradually changes towards the continent and it passes into continental, due to cold air circulating from the mountains and due to the vicinity of the Alps. VEGETATION One third of the Istrian peninsula is covered with woods. Along the coast and on the islands prevail pine woods and macchia, decorated by trees ofof holm oak and strawberrystrawberry--tree.tree. And now a tour around Labin region… Labin

The medieval town of Labin is situated on the hill above . Its old name of Albona was first mentioned in 285 AD. The birthplace of Matthias Flacius Illyricus, the reform and collaborator of Martin Luther, it is a cultural and administrative center today. The rich cultural and architectural heritage of Labin is enlivened by number of art ateliers and by the bustling youth gathering in the coffee bars scattered around the old town. The Sculpture Park in nearby Dubrova features over 70 forma viva stone sculptures. After a walk through the narrow streets of the Old Town, pay a visit to the Town Museum with its archaeological and unique in this part of Europe, a miniature coal mine. Have a loot at the Memorial collection of Matthias Flacius Illyricus, peek into the art ateliers, enjoy the view of Rabac and Cres island from the Fortica or pop into the small, elegant shops and take refreshments on one of the terraces of the local coffee bars. Whether to do business or just to have a chat, these are the places where everyone meets Rabac

The pearl of the Kvarner Bay Even though RABAC this pearl of the Kvarner Bay can accommodate up to l0,000 tourists in hotels, camping sites, apartments and private accommodation, it still retains the spirit and atmosphere of the former fishing village. The string of beaches, tiny coves, small bays and lush Mediterranean vegetation; the numerous restaurants offering tasty local cuisine, fishermen and excursion boats leaving harbor at sunset, hospitable people with their gentle Istrian soul are interwoven with all of modern and cosmopolitan Europe seeking relaxation, sun, blue sea, tranquility and amusements to entertain their fancy. PlomiPlominn As a starting point for your visit to the surrounding area you can choose . This small town, perched above one of the most beautiful bays in Istria to which it gives its name, was once a municipal center and harbor, a community of merchants craftsmen, fishermen and seafarers. Nowadays the inquisitive are drawn to the splendid views over the bay and the historical monuments.

KrKrššanan

Kršan - 18 km distant from Rabac on the way to Pican and . A visit to the old 13th century fortress is a must and, just next to its walls, stands the parish church of St. Anthony build in the 17th century . PiPi ććanan

Pi ćan - a small medieval town some 30 km away from Rabac. The many valuable sacral objects and paintings kept in the Church and the Parish Museum bear witness to the fact that Pican was a bishopric since the 7th century. The outstanding object on display is a bishop's mantle embroidered in gold, a present from the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. Pican is also well known for its high quality wines, as confirmed by Ferdinand Hapsburg himself whilst visiting at the beginning of this century. The 48 m high church tower is the third highest in Istria. Raša Raša is a small town that used to be a village for the miners, founded just by the coal mine. Raša, a small town, was firstly officially opened for inhabitants in 1937 with the presence of Duke of Spoleto. At the city square is dominant the church of Saint Barbara, the guardian of all miners. It was built in the shape of turn over miner’s wagon, while its church tower reminds of the traditional miner’s lamp, as well as at the miner’s tower. Raša is the youngest town in Istria, built for the demands of the Raša coal mine in 1936 at the personal initiative of Benito Mussolini. Sv.Nedelja The town of Sveta Nedelja comprises of the following smaller settlements: Nedeš ćina, Šumber, Sveti Martin, Snaši ći, Štrmac and Marciljani. From the tourist point of view it is not less attractive, but it is for more people undiscovered place of beauty, where the local inhabitants will be very glad to be able to offer you a glass “bukaleta” of wine, goat or sheep made cheese, prosciutto… With all the traditional tourist offering it is specially emphasized agro tourism, that at the clean air with the healthy food and the organically grown food, and extraordinary Istrian wine also offers excellent lodging. We believe that even this short tour around our homeland helped you to realize tremendous richness of Labin surrounding and that a bright and happy future of our surrounding is possible only if we all respect the basic principles of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

Due to increasing danger we must raise the following question: What each of us, as individual, can do for sustainable development? What can be done at the town and region level, what is the responsibility of the state, and what can do the international community to ensure the sustainability of the life at Earth.

AND, THEREFORE, HERE WE COME TO DETERMINE, TO WARN,

AND TO SUGGEST SOME MEASURES FOR IMPROVEMENT… INTERNATIONAL

PROJECTS  2nd NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (1999 . )  3rd NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (2000 . LABIN-RABAC)  4th NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (2001 . ŠIBENIK)  5th NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (2002 . STUBIČKE TOPLICE)  INTERNATIONAL GLOBE LEARNING EXPEDITION (2003,ŠIBENIK)  7th NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (200 4. DARUVAR )

GLOBE PARTNER - Holcim d.o.o “THE SEA AND US”  SENIOR STUDENTS WORK WITH THE JUNIORS SCHOOL,

TOWN,

REGIONAL

PROJECTS KKARSTARST POOLS IN LABIN AREA Eco group &“Hyla”

WHAT KIND OF AIR DO WE BREBREATH,ATH, WHAT KIND OF SOIL FEED US Powered by HOLCIM d.o.o.& INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH PROTECTION,

ARE THE PINE FORESTS AROUND LABIN DYING? COLLABORATORS ON THIS PROJECT: INSTITUTE FOR FORESTRY, , team under the leadership of dr.sc.Boris VRBEK CROATIAN FORESTS, LABIN INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH PROTECTION, PULA

CAVES AND PITS OF THE LABIN AREA ECO GROUP activity for “Neka moja Istra blista “ COLLABORATORS ON THIS SCHOOL PROJECTS: LABIN MUNICIPALITY – Regional planning department TOURIST ASSOCIATION OF LABIN

BLACK MAP of LABIN AREA

WATER IN OUR WELLS DOES RIVER RASA LIVE ?

Rain map of Labin area LANDSCAPE PARTICULARITY OF THE LABIN ––RABACRABAC FOOTHPATH PROJECT BY ISTRIAN REGION IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE LABIN TOURIST BOARD AND NGO “PUT” FIRST FIELD TOUR OBJECTIVE:

By using the GLOBE protocols we evaluated the landscape particularity of the foothpath:  quality of the water from the sources, air and soil  vegetation diversity  human activities impact

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: 2004 ––20052005 (two years project) CELEBRATING THE WATER CONSERVATION DAY ♣ A class in each subject is dedicated to the topic: WHAT IS WATER…? ♣ In the school hall is set the exhibition of the literary work of the students on the water topics

CELEBRATING THE EARTH DAY

In the reservation “LIBURNA” were held educational workshops on the topic of maintain biodiversity. BLUE FLAG DAY IN COLLABORATION WITH THE LABIN TOURIST BOARD AND RABAC HOTELS As a part of the CROATIAN BLUE FLAG DAY and in the organization of the RABAC HOTELS and LABIN TOURIST BOARD board students presented their projects: ••“HOW DID OUR ANCESTORS LIVE ••“ SOUVENIRS MADE OF WASTE MATERIALS” ••Survey among the tourists EECCOO--ETNOETNO projeprojecctt ““HOW DID OUR ANCESTORS LIVE ”” «Just after we start understanding the nature world, we will realize that we must live in an equilibrium with the environment and only than we and our grandchildren will live nicer at this planet.»