Istria was annexed by the Lombards in 751, by the Avars in 774, by the Franks during the reign of Charlemagne in 789, and successively controlled by various dukes, (Carinthia, Merano, Bavaria).

In 1267 the Republic of Venice annexed the western and southern coast of the Istrian peninsula because of the strong presence of the autochthonous Italian community; during this period the region prospered.

The major Istrian cities were reborn under Venetian government; it was in this half millennium that they developed architecturally and culturally.

In 1797, with the Treaty of Campo Formio written by Napoleon, the peninsula with the whole Republic of Venice passed to the Habsburgs of Austria.

[citation needed] After World War I, according to the peace treaty of Rapallo Istria became part of Italy in 1920.

With the collapse of Communist Yugoslavia Istria became part of an independent Croatia and the region saw no fighting in the ensuing war.

Writer Jules Verne was inspired to write his novel Mathias Sandorf after hearing of the quarry and cave in Pazin and the poet Dante Alighieri visited and wrote a few lines about Istria.

The Brijuni archipelago is an interesting habitat of about 680 plant species and also decorated by the most diverse vegetation and olive groves.

Protected from the north by the mountain chain of Alps as well the inner highland, the climate is borderline Mediterranean and humid subtropical with wetter winters and drier summers, but not completely dry.

Primarily, there is a lot of moisture in the air especially in the coastal towns of Istra such as Poreč, Vrsar, Rovinj, Pula, and others.

Despite air temperatures being lower than those in Dalmatia, the Adriatic Sea is warmer reaching up to 26 °C in August, coldest in March, (9-11 °C), while the freezing even in small, shallow bays is quite rare.

Istria county is administratively subdivided into 41 local units of government - 10 of these are officially designated as cities/towns and 31 are largely rural municipalities.

In 2021 the population was 195,237 and the main ethnic groups were as follows:[5] Before World War I and until World War II, Istria contained a large autochthonous Romance language speaking community consisting of Venetian dialects, Istriot and Istro-Romanian along with Italian, plus various local Slavic dialects, some of which were likewise unique to Istria.

Despite numerous initiatives, the western parts of Istria have been connected with the railroad only in 1902, with construction of the Parenzana narrow-gauge railway.

To this day, Istria County's rail connections are only towards Slovenia, and despite the fact that some plans to build railroad tunnel through Učka mountain date from decades ago,[7] there are no projections about financing and works are not scheduled to start any time soon.

[9] Organized tourism in Istria goes back to the Romans, when emperor Vespasian, for the entertainment of that time, built the Pula Arena.

During the reign of Austro-Hungarian Empire in (1866), Austrian and Hungarian royalty and aristocracy started visiting local resorts and discovered Poreč.

Significant efforts were made after World War II to develop the tourist infrastructure and to accentuate its importance.

In combination with the natural environment, history and cultural heritage, investments resulted in developed and competitive service all along the western coast in Poreč, Pula, Rovinj, Umag, Novigrad, and Vrsar.

Beginning with La Casa di Matiki in 1994 after the war, a number of eccentric agritouristic Bed and Breakfasts have sprung up in central Istria, providing opportunities for individuals, couples, and families to experience a very authentic Istrian experience while learning about the Istrian agricultural lifestyle.

Istria was and still is the most important tourist destination in Croatia, hosting the western and central European visitors, mostly from Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Italy.

[11] The county assembly is composed of 41 representatives from the following political parties: Directly elected minority councils and representatives are tasked with consulting tasks for the local or regional authorities in which they are advocating for minority rights and interests, integration into public life and participation in the management of local affairs.