Umag Municipal Museum

The Umag Municipal Museum is the town's main museum, housed in a historic tower in the old town on the peninsula where Umag began. Umag lies on the north-western tip of Istria, close to the border with Slovenia, and its old centre is a small knot of stone lanes around a harbour. The museum is a few minutes from the main sights, and for visitors who know Umag only for its resorts, marina and tennis tournament, it is the best place to understand how the town came to be.

The museum occupies a medieval defensive tower, which was part of the town's walls, and the building itself is one of the exhibits. The tower stands over several floors, each reached by a stair, and the rooms are small, with thick stone walls and narrow windows. At the top, larger windows give views over the sea and the rooftops of the old town, which are a pleasure in themselves. This kind of conversion of an old fortification into a museum is common in the Adriatic towns, and it shows how the walls gradually lost their military role and became part of the civic heritage.

The collections follow the history of Umag and its surroundings. They begin with prehistoric and Roman finds from the area, which show that the peninsula was settled very early and that the Romans had a settlement here, and continue through the Middle Ages and the Venetian period to modern times. Other displays are devoted to the activities that shaped local life, especially fishing, winemaking and olive growing, the main economic activities of the countryside around Umag for centuries. Old postcards and photographs show how the town looked in the past, and they are a good way to compare the quiet fishing port of earlier years with today's busy resort.

The museum is designed to be welcoming for children and includes features that help visitors with visual impairments, and guided tours are available if you want a deeper explanation. Opening hours are limited, and in some seasons the museum opens only for part of the day, so check before you go. A visit takes about an hour.

Close to the museum you can walk around the old town and harbour, explore Freedom Square, visit the marina and, if you have a car, drive out to the lighthouse at Savudrija, which is among the oldest working lighthouses on the Adriatic. The Stella Maris resort and the tennis stadium are also nearby. The museum suits history lovers, families and anyone who wants to look behind the holiday surface of Umag.