With the anthem of the Republic of Croatia and the solemn song of the Istrian County performed by tenor Luka Žiberna, and with the piano accompaniment of Josip Krajačić, students of the Music Academy of the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, the ceremonial program of marking the 65th anniversary of the founding of the State Archives in Pazin began.
In her introductory words, the director of the State Archives in Pazin, Mirela Mrak Kliman, introduced the participants to the 65-year-old archival tradition in Pazin and took the gathered on a journey through the history of the Archive, where the pages of Istrian heritage and culture are carefully preserved and will be kept for many years to come. The State Archives in Pazin are named Istrian Archives Pazin founded on 20 October 1958 in Pazin by the decision of the Pula District People's Committee. When we talk about the preservation and care of the building, the tradition of keeping archival material in Istria dates back to the 14th century, and it is evidenced by the provisions contained in the statutes of Istrian medieval municipalities, towns and castles.
This was followed by a lecture by the historian dr. sc. Josip Banić on the topic Under Shadow Explained: Influence of Venice on the development of urban communes in medieval Istria (XII–XV century). The lecture provided an insight into the complex historical processes and influences of Venice on the development of urban communes in our region during the Middle Ages. Dr. Sc. Josip Banić is a prominent historian and author of numerous scientific papers and books in the field of history of the Istrian region and its complex relationship with the Venetian Republic.
Due to the weather conditions that denied the possibility of an announced and planned visit to the construction site of the archival repository in Bertoš i near Pazin, a projection of photographs was shown, through which the progress and progress of works on the storage facility in Bertoš i was monitored. During the projection, a series of photographs were shown, presenting the current condition of the construction site, the detailed construction process and all relevant aspects of the project. In May this year, works began on the reconstruction and upgrading of the former military warehouse for the needs of the archival repository. The reconstruction and upgrade of the military warehouse will include the reconstruction of the existing building, which will be accompanied by a workshop for the conservation and restoration of materials on paper, and the upgrade of the northern building, which will serve fully for the reception and permanent preservation of archival material. Of the designed 1600 m² net usable area, almost 1200 m² will house archival storages with movable racks in which, it is estimated, up to 9500 boundary meters of archival material will be stored. The execution of works under this project is an integral part of one of a total of five activities contained in the investment ‘Improving the digital infrastructure and public sector services by developing the national archive information system and strengthening the national archives network’ under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is fully funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility and implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Media in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Administration, the Croatian State Archives, regional state archives and judicial authorities.
The deadline for completion of works is the end of November 2024.
After the screening of the photographs, the rich history of Istrian towns and municipalities is shown in another segment – through an exhibition of their historical statutes, which are stored in the State Archives in Pazin. The statutes are kept in the Archives, and their presentation to the public is due to Biserka Budicin, archival advisor at the State Archives in Pazin. City statutes play a key role in preserving the history and cultural heritage of cities and serve as an invaluable resource for various forms of research.
