Labin

Labin

**Albona**
Labin Albona
Town
	Grad Labin; Comune di Albona; Town of Labin
	Labin
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of Labin municipality in Istria
Country	Croatia
County	Istria County
First mention; (Artemidorus of Ephesus)	2nd century BC
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Mayor	Valter Glavičić (IDS)
• City Council	15 members
Area
• Town	72.3 km2 (27.9 sq mi)
• Urban	7.3 km2 (2.8 sq mi)
Elevation	210−320 m (689−1,050 ft)
Population (2021)
• Town	10,424
• Density	140/km2 (370/sq mi)
• Urban	5,806
• Urban density	800/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Labinjonka (female); Labinjon (male)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	52220
Area code	052
Vehicle registration	PU
Patron saints	St. Justus
Town day	August 19
Website	labin.hr

Labin (Italian/Istriot: Albona) is a town in Istria, west Croatia, with a town population of 5,806 (2021) and 10,424 in the greater municipality (which also includes the small towns of Rabac-Porto Albona and Vinež-Vines, as well as a number of smaller villages).^[2]

History

Labin developed from the site of the Roman settlement of Albona. Its name predates classical antiquity and is derived from Proto-Indo-European *alb- ("eminence", "hill").^[3] Before and under the Roman occupation, Albona was an important commune. On a marble tablet the Roman inscription we read that under the Emperor Marco Iulio Severo Filippo noble Caesar noble Prince made Albona a Republic. To be a republic it had to have two joined Magistrates called Duumviri and Public officers called Aediles which took care of Public buildings and other official duties.^[4]

From 1295 it was under the rule of the dukes of Pazin, and from 1381 it found itself under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Aquileia. From 1420 until 1797 it was ruled from the Republic of Venice and after that belonged to Austrian Empire until 1918, when it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. Labin, as a Croatian-speaking town, was for a long time the centre of Croatia's largest coal mining district, with four mines operating at the height of its production. In March and April 1921, the town was the scene of a miners' strike which quickly grew into an anti-fascist rebellion, considered to be the first of its kind, and the declaration of the short-lived Labin Republic.^[5] The mine in downtown Labin closed in 1989. The large, coal-fired power plant in nearby Plomin now has its coal imported from outside sources once the mines were closed. After the Treaty of Peace with Italy, 1947, Labin, like the whole of Istria, was annexed to Yugoslavia.

The famous Lutheran reformer Matthias Flacius Illyricus (3 March 1520 – 11 March 1575), was born in Labin and a small exhibition in what was once his house, commemorates this. Unfortunately, due to the counter-reformation, he was forced to live most of his life in exile in Germany where he became the undisputed leader of the conservative wing of the Lutheran movement after the death of Luther. His chief literary legacy was in the area of biblical exegesis.

Population

Settlements

The town's administrative area consists of 17 settlements:

Demographics

Historical populations
of Labin
Year	Pop.	±%
1857	2,283	—
1869	2,698	+18.2%
1880	3,722	+38.0%
1890	4,231	+13.7%
1900	4,369	+3.3%
1910	4,564	+4.5%
1921	4,495	−1.5%
1931	3,531	−21.4%
1945^[6]	6,493	+83.9%
1948	7,958	+22.6%
1953	9,851	+23.8%
1961	10,253	+4.1%
1971	10,778	+5.1%
1981	12,014	+11.5%
1991	13,144	+9.4%
2001	12,426	−5.5%
2011	11,642	−6.3%
2021	10,424	−10.5%
Source: Naselja i stanovništvo Republike Hrvatske 1857–2001, DZS, Zagreb, 2005 Source for year 1945: Cadastre National de l'Istrie, Jadranski institut Sušak, 1946.

Town of Labin: Population trends 1857–2021

population	2283	2698	3722	4231	4369	4564	4495	3531	7958	9851	10253	10778	12014	13144	12426	11642	10424
	1857	1869	1880	1890	1900	1910	1921	1931	1948	1953	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011	2021

Sources: Croatian Bureau of Statistics publications

Religion in Labin (2021 Census)^[7]
religion			percent
Roman Catholic			53.83%
Atheism and Agnosticism			13.76%
Islam			9.95%
Other Christians			5.84%
Undeclared			5.61%
Eastern Orthodoxy			2.28%
Protestantism			0.07%
Others and unspecified			8.66%

Ethnic composition in Labin (2021 Census)^[7]
ethnicity			percent
Croats			71.19%
Istrians			9.65%
Bosniaks			7.44%
Serbs			1.89%
Italians			1.77%
Albanians			0.61%
Slovenes			0.48%
Montenegrins			0.15%
Germans			0.14%
Others and unspecified			6.68%

Ethnic composition in Labin (1945 Census)^[8]
ethnicity			percent
Croats			80.27%
Italians			16.31%
Slovenes			2.40%
Undeclared			0.62%
Serbs			0.09%
Others			0.23%

Climate

Climate data for Labin
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8 (46)	8 (46)	12 (54)	16 (61)	20 (68)	24 (75)	27 (81)	27 (81)	22 (72)	17 (63)	13 (55)	9 (48)	17 (63)
Daily mean °C (°F)	5 (41)	6 (43)	9 (48)	13 (55)	17 (63)	21 (70)	24 (75)	24 (75)	19 (66)	15 (59)	11 (52)	7 (45)	14 (58)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	3 (37)	3 (37)	6 (43)	10 (50)	14 (57)	18 (64)	20 (68)	20 (68)	16 (61)	13 (55)	9 (48)	5 (41)	11 (52)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	101 (4.0)	104 (4.1)	99 (3.9)	96 (3.8)	94 (3.7)	68 (2.7)	60 (2.4)	76 (3.0)	164 (6.5)	187 (7.4)	211 (8.3)	135 (5.3)	1,395 (55.1)
Average rainy days	8	7	8	8	7	6	5	5	8	10	11	9	92
Average relative humidity (%)	75	72	71	70	71	67	64	65	70	75	77	75	71
Source: [1]

Culture

Language

Labinjonska Cakavica, one of the most interesting and oldest Istrian dialects spoken in and around the town of Labin. It belongs to Northern Chakavian dialect of the Chakavian variety of Croatian. It differs from the usual Chakavian (with typical pronoun "ča") because it lacks most palatals, with other parallel deviations called "tsakavism" (cakavizam). In 2019, by the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Labinjonska Cakavica became a protected intangible cultural asset of the Republic of Croatia.^[9]

Sport

The city is the home of football club NK Rudar Labin, and handball clubs ŽRK Rudar Labin and RK Mladi Rudar Labin.

Notable people

Artists

Mate Balota (1898–1963), poet, novelist and economist, whose mother was from Labin^[10]
Franka Batelić-Ćorluka (born 1992), singer and songwriter
Orlando Mohorović (born 1950), artist
Renato Percan (1936–2013), painter

Handball players

Tino Černjul (born 1973), left back, played for RK Zamet at intervals from 1995 to 2005
Valner Franković (born 1968), international player for Croatia
Evelina Galo, international player for Yugoslavia
Suzana Golja-Zulijani, international player for Croatia
Valter Marković (born 1959), played for RK Zamet from 1975 until 1987
Fran Mileta (born 2000), right winger, international player for Croatia
Mladen Prskalo (born 1968), pivot, international player for Croatia
Luka Stepančić (born 1990), right back, international player for Croatia

HNK Rijeka footballers

Mario Brnjac (1944–2007), football defender
Vlado Golja, football forward
Anđelo Milevoj (born 1941), football defender
Josip Mohorović (born 1948), football midfielder
Roberto Paliska (born 1963), football defender
Andrej Prskalo (born 1987), football goalkeeper
Davor Radmanović (born 1957), football midfielder
Sergio Stemberga (born 1942), football defender
Valentino Stepčić (born 1990), football midfielder
Bruno Veselica (1936–2018), football forward

Science and humanities

Matteo Bartoli (1873–1946), linguist
Josip Belušić (1847–1905), inventor and professor, invented the speedometer
Matthias Flacius (1520–1575), Lutheran reformer
Baldo Lupetino (1502–1556), protestant preacher
Giuseppina Martinuzzi (1844–1925), pedagogue, journalist, socialist, and feminist

Others

Antonio Bollani, Venetian general, whose mother was from Labin, who distinguished himself in the war with the Ottoman Turks (1645–1669)^[11]
Ema Derossi-Bjelajac (1926–2020), politician, President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, first woman to hold a title equivalent to a head of state in modern-day Croatia
Anton Marti (1923–2004), television and theater director and one of the founders of Television Zagreb

Administration and politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Labin is Valter Glavičić (IDS), elected in the 2021 Labin local elections which were held on 16 May 2021. There is one deputy mayor elected from the same list, Federika Mohorović Čekada.^[12]

Municipal Council

The Labin Council is composed of 15 representatives, elected in the 2021 Labin local elections.

The political groups represented in the Council (as of June 2021):

Elected on 16 May 2021
Groups	No. of members per group
Groups	2021
IDS, ISU	9 / 15
Democrats	2 / 15
SDP	2 / 15
Independents together	1 / 15
HDZ	1 / 15
Source:^[13]

Councils of Local Committees

In 2020, elections were held for the councils of all seven local committees of the City of Labin.^[14]

Elected on 5 July 2020
Groups	No. of members per group
Groups	2020
IDS	31 / 39
SDP	7 / 39
MOST	1 / 39
Source:^[14]

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities^[15]

Idrija, Slovenia

Manzano, Italy
Sospirolo, Italy
Carbonia, Italy
Baja, Hungary
Sandnes, Norway

Partnerships^[15]

Banovići, BiH
Rybnik, Poland

References

^ Register of spatial units of the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia. Wikidata Q119585703.
^ ^a ^b "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements" (xlsx). Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
^ Šimunović 2013, pp. 167–168.
^ Labin, Yugoslavia (1870). Societa del Gabinetto di Minerva (ed.). Statuto municipale della città di Albona dell'a. 1341 (in Italian). Trieste: Società del Gabinetto di Minerva. pp. III–XVI. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
^ G. Scotti - L. Giuricin. La Repubblica di Albona e il movimento dell'occupazione delle fabbriche in Italia
^ "Cadastre National de l'Istrie". Jadranski institut Sušak. July 1946.
^ ^a ^b "Population by Towns/Municipalities" (xlsx). Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
^ "Cadastre National de l'Istrie". Jadranski institut Sušak. July 1946.
^ ""Labinjonska cakavica zaštićeno nematerijalno kulturno dobro"". HRT Magazin. 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
^ "Mirković, Mijo (Miho, pseud. Mate Balota)". Istrianet. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
^ "Tko je Antonio Bollani čija se bista nalazi na labinskoj Župnoj crkvi? Vojskovođa i senator labinske gore list". labin.com.
^ "Federika Mohorović Čekada kandidatkinja IDS-a za zamjenicu gradonačelnika Labina". Labiska Komuna. 22 April 2021.
^ "Konstituirano Gradsko vijeće, predsjednica Eni Modrušan". Grad labin.
^ ^a ^b "Izbori za članove vijeća mjesnih odbora Grada Labina". Grad Labin.
^ ^a ^b "Međunarodna suradnja". Grad Labin.

Sources

Šimunović, Petar (March 2013). "Predantički toponimi u današnjoj (i povijesnoj) Hrvatskoj" [Pre-Roman placenames in present-day (and historical) Croatia] (PDF). Folia onomastica Croatica (in Croatian) (22). Zagreb: Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts: 147–214. Retrieved 18 January 2016.