Momjan Castle — Attraction in Grad Buje

The Momjan Castle is a ruined building worth visiting if you like the distant past. A very charming place that has yet to be restored for a larger number of visitors.

The history of this fortress is very interesting and turbulent. It is one of the more picturesque symbols of medieval Istria. The fortress is located above the Argilla stream on a rock surrounded by cliffs at an altitude of 280 meters above sea level, and today it is still trying to resist the ravages of time.

The extraordinary defensive and strategic position of this building has enabled control over nearby roads and fertile land throughout history.

It was mentioned as a fortress in the 13th century during the time of Woscalc, the son of a powerful Aquileian vassal who also used the title “Momjanski” (de Mimiliano). In the 16th century, it was purchased by the knight Simone Rota from Bergamo, who rebuilt the fortress into a trapezoidal shape, renovated the living quarters, erected the chapel of St. Stephen, and built a new stone bridge.

His family and descendants lived in the castle for the next 300 years, so the castle is often called Rota Castle (although this is not its official name). The Momjan Castle experienced a Renaissance at that time and until its abandonment in 1835 it was used as a residence.

Since then, the steep decline of the once impressive medieval fortress began, losing its strategic and residential function. Today, only one of the four towers rises above the Dragonja River valley as a reminder of the rich history of this region.

Fortunately, the centuries-old decline of the once proud guardian of the fertile wine-growing plains of northwestern Istria has now been stopped. The remains of the castle are being restored through publicly funded projects that are slowly restoring the old glory of this distinctive symbol of the Istrian...

If you want to access the castle, Google tells you to park on Most and walk but you actually want to park up in Momjan and walk down to it (there is a gravel road that goes northwest down from town to Stari Podrum- that is the road to walk a short way down then you’ll see a sign for the walking path to the castle). Now that logistics are out of the way, the castle is under renovation so there is a sign saying access is forbidden. Best you can do now is see it from a little...

Castle is spectacular - positioned on a rocky platoe, sorrounded by steep cliffs and has a very imposing tower. It was being renovated at the time of our visit. Museum is devoted to the Momjan castle, its ruling dinasties and to Istrian castles was just the icing on the cake. Lady in the museum was very...