Svetvinčenat in Istria is getting another castle after 1034 years
Morosini-Grimani castle built in the centre of the charming Istrian town in 983 is getting some company: the new wooden castle of St. Michael is opening in a month, three kilometres outside of Svetvinčenat. Unlike the old edifice that was built to house soldiers, guests of the noble families, travelers and merchants, St. Michael was designed as part of a project aiming to attract tourists and local visitors.
The castle was built by the Otočan family from Rapanji, who are also planning to expand the project to include a medieval themed park. Their estate will soon house a restaurant and two houses for guest accommodation. The owner Veseljko Otočan stated they already got the building permit for the restaurant that will have his wife Silvia preparing medieval meals.
“We’ll start with a simple menu, such as grilled meat with potatoes and vegetables, to be eaten without utensils. The traditional stews dating from the Middle ages will be included on the menu starting from next year, and we’re planning to prepare them after a special recipe.” said Otočan. He added they will also be selling their olive oils in an old stone house located next to the castle, as the family has been taking care of an olive grove and manufactures their own products.
“We conceived the project two years ago, based on the large number of guests visiting the medieval festival in Svetvinčenat. That was the first incentive, followed by municipality’s support in further development. As we dispose of two holiday homes we rent to tourists and a carpentry shop, we thought to expand our activities to a new project. We got 50.000 kuna from the Ministry of Tourism last year, and started with construction of the castle in August.” stated Otočan.
The new castle is a great addition to the tourist offer in Istria, and we’ll make sure to follow the story with photos once the place opens for business.
