Raša (river)
Encyclopedia
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 Raša rises in springs near Pićan
and flows south through a steep-sided valley before opening into the head of the Adriatic Sea
. The river, although less than 30 kilometres in length, has an ancient history as a border.
, who lived west of its banks, and the Liburni on the coast to the east, with the Iapydes
in the upcountry valley behind them. After the Romans conquered the fierce and piratical Histri in 177 BCE, the Arsia formed the limes
of Roman territory in coastal Istria for a generation, until the gap between the Arsia and the northernmost Roman outposts in illyria was closed in 129; for long afterwards it divided Italia Regio X, Venetia et Histria, from Illyricum
, according to the divisions ratified by Augustus
. The 8th-century Irish monk and geographer Dicuil
, following his late Latin sources for the geographical summary De mensura Orbis terrae, gives the northeastern boundary of Italia as flumen Arsia.
The Roman road
Via Flavia
, reaching from Tergeste (Trieste) into Istria came to an end at the crossing of the Arsia; beyond, it continued into Dalmatia
as a local road that linked to Via Gemina
.
In the early 10th century Tomislav of Croatia ruled a state that ran from the Adriatic to the Drava River, and from the Raša, as it was now being called, to the Drina River. In the 13th century, the territory on the east bank was administered by the counts of Gorizia
, while that on the west was ruled by the patriarchs of Aquileia. After centuries of Venetian rule over all of Istria to the Raša, the Raša became the border between Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy
and the Austrian Empire
; following Napoleon's downfall, Austria gained all of Istria and the river became the border between two Austrian provinces.
The planned city of Raša
, on a tributary of the river in the inner part of the Raška Inlet, was constructed in 1936–1937 as Arsia on drained wetlands to gain arable land for farming and to serve expanding coal mining operations, as part of Mussolini's urban colonization and Italianization of Istria. The village of Barban
is the other major settlement near the river.
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...
is a major river of 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 ...
's Istria County
Istria County
Istria County is the westernmost county of Croatia which includes the biggest part of the Istrian peninsula . The area of the county is called Istra in Croatian and Slovene...
. Its mouth is in the long ria
Ria
A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches. This pattern is inherited from the...
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 Raša rises in springs near Pićan
Pican
Pićan is a village and municipality in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 12 km southeast of Pazin; elevation 360 m. The chief occupations are agriculture and livestock breeding. It is situated on the Pazin-Kršan-Vozilići regional road...
and flows south through a steep-sided valley before opening into the head of the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
. The river, although less than 30 kilometres in length, has an ancient history as a border.
Border river
By Roman times, the Arsia, as it was called in Latin, constituted the border between the HistriHistri
Histri were an ancient tribe, which Strabo refers to as living in Istria, to which they gave the name.The Histri are classified in some sources as a "Venetic" Illyrian tribe, with certain linguistic differences from other Illyrians. The Romans described the Histri as a fierce tribe of pirates,...
, who lived west of its banks, and the Liburni on the coast to the east, with the Iapydes
Iapydes
The Iapydes were an ancient people who dwelt north of and inland from the Liburnians, off the Adriatic coast and eastwards of the Istrian peninsula...
in the upcountry valley behind them. After the Romans conquered the fierce and piratical Histri in 177 BCE, the Arsia formed the limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
of Roman territory in coastal Istria for a generation, until the gap between the Arsia and the northernmost Roman outposts in illyria was closed in 129; for long afterwards it divided Italia Regio X, Venetia et Histria, from Illyricum
Illyricum (Roman province)
The Roman province of Illyricum or Illyris Romana or Illyris Barbara or Illyria Barbara replaced most of the region of Illyria. It stretched from the Drilon river in modern north Albania to Istria in the west and to the Sava river in the north. Salona functioned as its capital...
, according to the divisions ratified by Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. The 8th-century Irish monk and geographer Dicuil
Dicuil
Dicuil, Irish monk and geographer, born in the second half of the 8th century.-Background:The exact dates of Dicuil's birth and death unknown...
, following his late Latin sources for the geographical summary De mensura Orbis terrae, gives the northeastern boundary of Italia as flumen Arsia.
The Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
Via Flavia
Via Flavia
The Via Flavia was an ancient Roman road which connected Trieste to Dalmatia, running across the Istrian coast. It was built during the reign of emperor Vespasian, in 78/79 AD....
, reaching from Tergeste (Trieste) into Istria came to an end at the crossing of the Arsia; beyond, it continued into Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
as a local road that linked to Via Gemina
Via Gemina
Via Gemina was the Roman road linking Aquileia and Emona . It took its name, the "twin road", from the circumstance that it departed from Aquileia along with the Via Postumia...
.
In the early 10th century Tomislav of Croatia ruled a state that ran from the Adriatic to the Drava River, and from the Raša, as it was now being called, to the Drina River. In the 13th century, the territory on the east bank was administered by the counts of Gorizia
County of Gorizia
The County of Görz was a county based around the town of Gorizia in the present-day Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of north-eastern Italy.Count Meinhard, descendant of the Bavarian Meinhardiner noble family with possessions around Lienz in Tyrol, is mentioned as early as 1107...
, while that on the west was ruled by the patriarchs of Aquileia. After centuries of Venetian rule over all of Istria to the Raša, the Raša became the border between Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
and the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
; following Napoleon's downfall, Austria gained all of Istria and the river became the border between two Austrian provinces.
The planned city of Raša
Raša
Raša is a town and municipality in the inner part of the Raška Inlet in the south-eastern part of Istria, Croatia. Raša lies southwest of Labin at an elevation of ....
, on a tributary of the river in the inner part of the Raška Inlet, was constructed in 1936–1937 as Arsia on drained wetlands to gain arable land for farming and to serve expanding coal mining operations, as part of Mussolini's urban colonization and Italianization of Istria. The village of Barban
Barban
Barban is a small town and municipality in the southern part of eastern Istria, Croatia, 28 km northeast of Pula, above the Raša river valley; elevation 229 m....
is the other major settlement near the river.