the trail of miners and stone sculptures

The route starts in Nedešćina, the central town of the Municipality of Sv. Nedelja, whose centre is occupied by the Church of the Most Holy Trinity built in 1897, where there used to be a former Benedictine Abbey of St. Trinity.

You will head in the direction of Štrmac, a settlement built at the end of the 19^th century next to a former mining shaft. The most significant miners’ uprising in Istria, also known as “the Labin Republic”, left indelible traces in the Labin area. The miners' fight, aimed at seeking their labour rights, improving their position, as well as working and living conditions, led to the establishment of the Labin Republic, which lasted from 2 March to 8 April 1921. This cycling route will also take you to the centre of Vinež, where the miners’ strike began.

You will continue your journey from Štrmac towards “Dubrova Park”, a unique sculpture park which hosts the Mediterranean Sculpture Symposium, and which is a favourite meeting place for visitors of the Labin area. Visit some of the 90 or so stone sculptures placed inside the 33-hectare park. Numerous internationally known sculptors have demonstrated their skills in processing Istrian stone here. You will find an ideal place for meditation and rest in nature in the “Dolac” amphitheatre. A special experience awaits you when walking along the “White Road”, or Bijela cesta, a unique art project made up of 16 sections of different mosaics. The White Road used to lead to the rural residential and commercial complex of Labin’s noble family Franković-Vlačić.

Riding further along the Dubrova industrial zone, you will reach Vinež, where on the main square, also known as '”Krvova placa”, or Red Square, about 600 miners gathered to protest against the fascists in 1921. The political protest under the slogan “Kova je naša” (The Mine is Ours) will forever remain a symbol of the fight for workers' and human rights.

After leaving Vinež, you will continue via a gentle ascent in the direction of the picturesque small villages of Tomažići, Cere, and Santalezi, which hide numerous country holiday homes. During the cycling ride, you will find refreshments in one of the catering facilities on the route that offer delicious local delicacies. At the end of the route, visit one of Nedešćina’s wineries to taste top-quality wines.