Hum, Croatia
Encyclopedia
Hum is a town in the central part of Istria
, northwest Croatia
, 7 km from Roč
, 14 km southeast of Buzet
on a hill
above the Mirna
valley
. The elevation
of the town is 349 m. This small fortified habitation has maintained all the features of medieval urban architecture
and organization.
On its western side it is enclosed by town walls and on the remaining sides houses are built into the defensive walls. It was first mentioned in documents dating from 1102, at which time it was called Cholm which is derived from the Italian name Colmo. A bell and watch tower was built in 1552 as part of the town's defenses beside the town loggia. The present Parish Church of St. Jerome (Sveti Jeromim) with its classical facade was built in 1802 on the side of an earlier church which was built by the local master Juraj Gržinič.
The "Hum Glagolitic wall writings" are preserved in the church, written in the formative period of Glagolitic (the second half of the 12th century) and they are one of the oldest examples of Croatian Glagolitic literary culture in the Middle Ages.
Hum has a population of only 17 people (2001 census), but is officially a town, and is the Guinness World Record holder for the smallest town in the world. The town museum
displays a few Glagolitic writings.
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
, northwest Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, 7 km from Roč
ROC
Roc may refer to:*Roc , a mythical giant bird*Roc , a role-playing version of the mythical bird*Roc , an American television sitcom starring Charles S...
, 14 km southeast of Buzet
Buzet
Buzet is a town in Istria, Croatia, population 6,059 . Already at the time of Venetian rule, Buzet supplied military stations and the local population with potable water. Today the region of Buze-stina is the central area of the future Native Park of Istria...
on a hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
above the Mirna
Mirna
Mirna may refer to:geographical entities* Mirna , a river in Istria, Croatia* Mirna , a river in Slovenia, tributary of the river Sava* Mirna , a settlement in the municipality of Mirna in Southeastern Sloveniapeople...
valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
. The elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of the town is 349 m. This small fortified habitation has maintained all the features of medieval urban architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and organization.
On its western side it is enclosed by town walls and on the remaining sides houses are built into the defensive walls. It was first mentioned in documents dating from 1102, at which time it was called Cholm which is derived from the Italian name Colmo. A bell and watch tower was built in 1552 as part of the town's defenses beside the town loggia. The present Parish Church of St. Jerome (Sveti Jeromim) with its classical facade was built in 1802 on the side of an earlier church which was built by the local master Juraj Gržinič.
The "Hum Glagolitic wall writings" are preserved in the church, written in the formative period of Glagolitic (the second half of the 12th century) and they are one of the oldest examples of Croatian Glagolitic literary culture in the Middle Ages.
Hum has a population of only 17 people (2001 census), but is officially a town, and is the Guinness World Record holder for the smallest town in the world. The town museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
displays a few Glagolitic writings.