February the 8th, 2026 ? Dvigrad was once home to around 2,000 people, but now it lies empty. It never fell victim to ancient sieges or wars, and the black death turned it into Istria?s own ghost town?

As Putni kofer/Lana Mindoljevic writes, once upon a time, the ancient town of Dvigrad was a bustling, important and relatively big town for the time. It was home to over 2,000 inhabitants, people traded and negotiated on its narrow cobbled streets, people whispered, gossiped, kissed and lived behind the walls of the old houses. Istria?s ghost town, as it?s now sadly known, was once an important trading centre. Today, it sits in silence with nothing but the wind blowing through the cracks of its old buildings, not far from the Lim Channel. For many centuries, it resisted all kinds of attacks and sieges, only to be destroyed in the end by an invisible enemy that ravaged Europe ? the black death.

Dvigrad is located near Kanfanar, in Limska draga, a deep valley that stretches from the Lim Channel to Pazin. It will take you about 20 minutes of pleasant driving from Rovinj through the picturesque Istrian landscape, with the location being well marked on Google Maps. As soon as you get closer, you will realise that it is not just some old fortress or abandoned building. Istria?s ghost town is a complex, the exploration of which is a real journey through history.

Today, the abandoned old town remains a silent witness to the past that preserves countless exciting stories. Its name, Dvigrad, comes from the Latin phrase “Due Castelli”, meaning two fortresses. Initially, the town really consisted of two units, which were called Moncastella and Kaštel Parentino. However, over time, only Moncastella developed, while the other gradually fell into oblivion. What we can see there today are the remains of Moncastella only.

Dvigrad is surrounded by double defensive walls, within which the remains of more than 200 buildings have been preserved. Today, it?s overgrown and lies in an unfortunate ruin, but it was once a real lively little town and this is evident at every turn. Narrow stone streets, a defensive fortress, the remains of an old church, houses where people lived and kept animals… One by one, the puzzle of the historical saga of this place can be put together.

The view is dominated by the old defensive tower and walls, but when you pass through the entrance, other layers of the former town are slowly revealed. Aside from the two towers and the preserved town gate, perhaps the most impressive part of the whole complex are the remains of the Church of St. Sophia, which was built in several phases.

Dvigrad was first mentioned in written documents back during the 9th century, but it is believed that it was founded in antiquity. The period of its greatest prosperity took place during the Middle Ages, when it became an important trade and defence centre. Over the centuries that followed, Dvigrad fell victim to numerous wars and sieges, but none of them doomed it in the end. The end of Dvigrad and its transformation into Istria?s ghost town came as a result of the black death and malaria, which caused the population to leave, most often to nearby Kanfanar.

Around 1630, the town was almost completely abandoned, with only the poorest families remaining there. In 1714, the Dvigrad parish was moved to nearby Kanfanar, which was the final nail in the coffin for ancient Dvigrad. Since then, Dvigrad has been left to the ravages of the elements and the constant ticking of time, with nature having slowly taken over its walls.

The next time you find yourself anywhere near Rovinj, a visit to Istria?s ghost town, murdered by the black death, is a must do.

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