Photos courtesy Croatian National Tourism Board
Hum, the smallest town in the world, is one of the rare preserved examples of urban development located exclusively within early medieval walls. It was mentioned for the first time in 1102. Town walls protected the town from frequent intrusions of the Venetians and the Turks. For almost a thousand years, nothing has been built outside the walls of Hum. Frescoes with biblical themes, unique artwork created by an unknown author in the 12th century, are a unique feature of the town.
Apart from being famous as the smallest town in the world, it has also been recently promoted as the Town of Biska. Biska is mistletoe brandy whose original recipe comes from Hum. Every year at the end of October Hum is the host of a brandy exhibit where a competition for the best brandy in Istria is organized.
The traditional custom of electing the county prefect for a year has been preserved to this day. Many tourists come to see the election proceedings and join in the culminating festival celebration.
Today Hum has about 20 inhabitants. You can tour the town in about five minutes, but after that be sure to stop at Humska Konoba (Hum Tavern) to taste some of the typical Istrian specialties.
For more info, go to www.istra.hr
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