Raša
Encyclopedia
Raša is a town and municipality in the inner part of the Raška Inlet in the south-eastern part of Istria
, Croatia
. Raša lies 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) southwest of Labin
at an elevation of 10 m (32.8 ft).
Situated in the valley of the Krapanski Brook (a tributary of the river Raša
), the first pit of the Raša coal basin was opened near the former village of Krapan in 1785. Originally a swamp, the valley around the Raša was gradually drained and improved to gain arable land for farming and building a town near the expanding coal mine operations.
Raša was built as a "new town
" during 1936-1937 as part of Mussolini's urban colonization of Istria and other Italian territories. Planned and designed along rationalist principles by architect, Gustavo Pulitzer-Finali from Trieste, Italy, the mining town is organized along a linear axis connecting Upper and Lower Raša. Lower Raša comprises houses for ordinary miners set along two parallel streets while Upper Rasa is organized along 3 parallel streets with similar houses but slightly larger in size designated for senior miners and supervisors. Smaller residential enclaves were organized throughout the elongated plan, one of which is "vilete", a gated series of small urban villas designated for mining executives. The town centre connecting Lower and Upper Raša included a large square with hotels, post office, supermarket, movie theatre, pharmacy, administrative offices and small arcaded shops. Overlooking the square is the church of Santa Barbara (patron saint of miners). The church is in the shape of an overturned coal wagon while its bell tower alludes to a miner's lamp. Centrally located are also the town hospital, football field, bocci terrain and swimming pool with diving tower and bowling alley. Decades after the mine's closure, Today, Raša's appearance is part of a memory album of town planning, whereas the sound of coal wagons belongs to bygone days.
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...
, 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 ...
. Raša lies 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) southwest of Labin
Labin
Labin is a town in Istria, Croatia, with a town population of 6,884 and 11,703 in the greater municipality ....
at an elevation of 10 m (32.8 ft).
Situated in the valley of the Krapanski Brook (a tributary of the river Raša
Raša (river)
The river Raša, in Croatian Istria is a major river of Croatia's Istria County. Its mouth is in the long ria of Raški zaljev/Porto d'Arsia, which is a drowned river valley scoured out when world sea levels were lowered, then drowned by the rising waters of the post glacial era...
), the first pit of the Raša coal basin was opened near the former village of Krapan in 1785. Originally a swamp, the valley around the Raša was gradually drained and improved to gain arable land for farming and building a town near the expanding coal mine operations.
Raša was built as a "new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
" during 1936-1937 as part of Mussolini's urban colonization of Istria and other Italian territories. Planned and designed along rationalist principles by architect, Gustavo Pulitzer-Finali from Trieste, Italy, the mining town is organized along a linear axis connecting Upper and Lower Raša. Lower Raša comprises houses for ordinary miners set along two parallel streets while Upper Rasa is organized along 3 parallel streets with similar houses but slightly larger in size designated for senior miners and supervisors. Smaller residential enclaves were organized throughout the elongated plan, one of which is "vilete", a gated series of small urban villas designated for mining executives. The town centre connecting Lower and Upper Raša included a large square with hotels, post office, supermarket, movie theatre, pharmacy, administrative offices and small arcaded shops. Overlooking the square is the church of Santa Barbara (patron saint of miners). The church is in the shape of an overturned coal wagon while its bell tower alludes to a miner's lamp. Centrally located are also the town hospital, football field, bocci terrain and swimming pool with diving tower and bowling alley. Decades after the mine's closure, Today, Raša's appearance is part of a memory album of town planning, whereas the sound of coal wagons belongs to bygone days.