Kaštel - Castelvenere

Kaštel or Castelvenere is located on the top of a hill. It is offering the view of the valley of the river Dragonja and was settled already in the Prehistoric Age. The archaeological excavations on the slopes of the hill indicate the existence of a fortified castle which was strategically very important due to its location. After the Roman Conquest the castle became Castrum Veneris. The name probably originates from the temple dedicated to a pagan Goddess. Another explanation of the toponym refers to the Castrum Venae after the line of the hill on which the settlement is located. In the vicinity of the new settlement which developed only a few hundred metres from the antique settlement, with the remains of the antique walls, there are small villages like Plovanija, Kaldanija and others. With its location next to the Slovenian border crossing and the main roads towards Istria, Kaštel has good opportunities for a more intense development of tourism and minor border traffic in the future.

Istria