Stari trg (Main Square)

Labin is really two towns in one. Down by the coast lies Podlabin, the modern district that grew around the coal mines, and above it, on a steep hill about 300 metres up, sits the old town, a tight knot of stone houses that was a fortified settlement under Venetian rule, and it remains one of the most atmospheric of Istrian old towns. Stari trg, the Main Square of that old town, is the place where its streets, steps and passages come together, and it is the best spot to get your bearings before exploring the rest.

Like most hill towns of Istria, Labin was built for defence rather than for sprawl. Houses press close against each other, lanes are narrow and paved with worn stone, and open space is rare, so a square is treated as an event. Here the mix of small palaces, plain townhouses and churches shows how Venetian, Italian and Croatian influences have layered over the centuries. Italian was long the language of the town, and street signs and old names still carry traces of it, which is typical across the region.

The square works as a social space as much as a historical one. Cafés set out tables, locals meet for a morning coffee and conversation, and in summer concerts, small festivals and open-air events take place in and around the old core. Labin has a strong tradition of art and culture, and galleries, workshops and outdoor sculptures dot the streets close by. From the square it is easy to reach the Labin Loggia and the Labin Town Tower, and the Labin City Museum is a short walk away in an old palace. The Mining Museum, with a model mine and tunnels in the Old Town, recalls the other side of Labin's identity: coal was dug in this area for generations, and the miners' uprising of 1921, sometimes called the Labin Republic, is remembered here as an important chapter of local history. The Labin Coal Mine and the memory of the pits give the town an unusual character among Istria's picturesque hilltops.

The walk up from the lower town is steep, so a taxi or a drive to the old town's edge is a good option for anyone with limited mobility; once up there, everything is within a few minutes on foot. The views from the edges of the old town stretch over the Kvarner coast and, on a clear day, across to the islands of Cres and Krk.

The square is best enjoyed slowly, with a coffee and no schedule, in the late afternoon when the stone turns warm. It suits couples, history enthusiasts and travellers who like to build a day around a walk, a museum stop and a long lunch in a town that has kept its character.