Municipality of Motovun is located in the north of the Istria County, in the near towns Buzet and Pazin. The sea is about 20 km distant and it has about 1000 inhabitants.
Motovun is the best preserved medieval fortress on the Istrian peninsula. Its name comes from the Celtic origin, and it derives from the word Montona, which means city in the mountains.
At the foot of the Motovun hill, the mythical Jason and the Argonauts sailed along the Mirna River, but the first inhabitants to leave traces populated this area in the period between 3,500 and 2,200 B.C. The first mention of Motovun in written records dates back to 804 and after centuries of domination by the Germans and the Patriarchs of Aquileia, Motovun asked Venice to be accepted under its rule in 1278 and remained so until 1797.
Folk tales and folklore motifs of this area were inspiration to one of the greatest Croatian writers, Vladimir Nazor for the literary work Veli Joze from the 1908. The main character is a brave and good giant Joze, "strong as an ox and with a hairy head," who lives in the area of Istrian town Motovun. This will be the work by which the Nazor's prose poetry will be recognised and which he himself considered unsuccessful. Veli Joze became a symbol of Croatian Istria, allegorical picture of its national past, its torment and humiliation but also its power and strength with which for centuries resisted to denationalization.
The events are held in Motovun for the whole year and one of the most famous is certainly "Motovun Film Festival". It was founded in 1999. showing always films made in small and independent productions, which emphasizes innovation, ideas and power of their stories. Motovun film festival is actually a multi-day movie marathon, which is held in late July, in which the projections alternate from 10 a.m. until 4 a.m. next day, with evening projections at the outdoor and daily in the movie theater. Each year for visitors is organized a camp, which is extremely well known among young people.
Other events: Teran and truffle festival "TeTa", „Igra na rog“, the Kaldir Kolejana, "Feast of frutti" Race with Karic "From Ressel to Andretti" Celebration of Labor Day - "Prvi maj" festival Veli Joze ...
In 2012. new paragliding airfield is regulated in Motovun.
This medioeval town is widely known for delicacies which grow in this area, and these are: white truffles, teran grapevine, olive oil and a jucy fruit from Kaldir. Motovun forest consists of an old deciduous trees growing in the alluvion along the river Mirna. One of the natural rarities in this forest is white oak, which is a common species growing in the lowland area of ??inland parts of the Croatia. During the Austro-Hungarian Empire this was a forest reserve where have been grown trees used to supply the shipbuilding with architectural wood, and today this is the world's largest single habitat of the white truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico).
In Motovun and the surrounding area there is a growing number of villas and indigenous stone houses that reflect the traditional Istrian style, ideal for those who want to enjoy the comfort and feel like in their own home. Due to the specific geomorphological shape with numerous hills, surrounding the valley of the Mirna River, this area has many villages that offer a stunning view. At the edges of the same villages were built numerous villas with swimming pool and a viewpoint that these facilities are providing will simply fill every person's soul and give an ideal feeling of a complete tranquility.