Motovun is a small village inhabited by about 500 people. It is located in central Istria, in the north-west of Croatia. The history of the village dates back to the times of the Roman Empire, when a military camp was set up there. At the very place of the camp a village was built in the Middle Ages. In the 13th century the village was walled in and the coats of arms of the most noble families of the village as well as two tombstones of the 1st-century Roman citizens of Motovun were built in the wall. Due to the presence of precious monuments of Roman, Gothic and Renaissance architecture, which are interwoven in the village’s architecture, the Croatian government placed the village on the Tentative List for Croatia, meaning that the government intends to protect the village in accordance with the UNESCO World Heritage Program.
