Petehi: Cultural Heritage and Cycling Route 681

Petehi can be understood through its historic village character and the challenging Cycling Route 681. The village thus brings together a specific theme of architectural and commemorative heritage with a longer circular route for cyclists. Paths and cultural themes from Općina Barban provide additional regional context.

Village Character, Remembrance and Landscape Planning

Barban’s spatial plan designates Petehi as an ethnological zone. For traditional buildings in the historic village centre, the plan calls for preserving their existing form and restoring them using traditional materials. This sets out a planning guideline for the architectural heritage of the village centre. Petehi is also associated with a World War II monument dedicated to the fallen fighters from Petehi, Rojnići, Draguzeti and Orihi.

Landscape planning also includes Petehi: the plan proposes the Žminj 2 botanical special reserve and identifies grassland areas south of Rojnići, Petehi, Orihi and Pustijanci. This is a planned protected area. The regional planning framework thus brings together the preservation of traditional buildings and the proposed protection of grassland areas as distinct themes.

Cycling Route 681 and Regional Roads

Petehi lies on the official Istria Bike Route 681. The 102-kilometre route is a fully paved loop connecting Svetvinčenat with Barban, the Raša area, Labin and Žminj. It is classified as challenging. Its length, surface and classification are clearly specified for anyone planning a cycling trip.

Another cycling route in the wider destination of Općina Barban is Route 631: it starts and ends in Barban and is 33 kilometres long. The route lengths provide a concrete comparison without conflating the two routes: Petehi lies on the challenging, 102-kilometre paved loop of Route 681, while Route 631 is described as a 33-kilometre route starting and ending in Barban. The existing county roads Ž5077 and Ž5100 also run through Petehi in the direction of Barban, Glavani and Manjadvorci.

Other Routes in Općina Barban

Hiking routes in the wider destination of Općina Barban can also be distinguished by their stated distances. The “Tepla stran–Puntera–Blaz” trail is suitable for hiking, trekking, horseback riding and mountaineering. The one-way distance is 7.25 kilometres, or 14.5 kilometres for the round trip. The “Putem gljiva” trail starts and ends in Draguzeti and is seven kilometres long. In direct comparison, one is a specified one-way distance with a return trip, while the other is a seven-kilometre loop.

Other trails are described mainly by their landmarks: “Putem Sv. Martina” starts and ends in Bičići and passes through Glavani. The “Putem izvora” loop runs from Hrboki via Piska and Puntera back to Hrboki; signs along the route point, among other things, to the springs of Čažune and the channels of the Raša River. Anyone planning these routes should check local trail conditions before setting out.

Culture and Tradition in the Wider Destination

Općina Barban is home to other historical landmarks. Over the course of its history, Barban developed into a fortified settlement with walls, round and square towers, bastions, large and small town gates, and a castle. The parish church of St Nicholas the Bishop was built in 1701 and fully completed in 1708. The Church of St James the Apostle contains the only surviving fresco cycle in Istria depicting the legend of St James; the Church of St Anthony the Hermit contains frescoes from the early 15th century.

Intangible cultural heritage and regional cuisine also shape the context. Trka na prstenac was added to Croatia’s Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage on 4 April 2016. Barbanski kolač is a traditional cake from the Barban area: it is round, has a hole in the middle and was historically associated with weddings. In Grandići, the “100% made in Grandići by Johan and Matija” wine museum is housed in a stone building that has remained unchanged for more than 300 years. The old tools and objects there illustrate how people in Barbanština used to make wine, distil rakija and prepare wine vinegar.

Discover more destinations: Puntera, Hrboki, Šajini, Orihi, Manjadvorci, Kožljani, Želiski, Bicici

For the overview of the wider destination: Općina Barban.