15/08/2022
Ako niste znali, i Istra ima svoju pustinju!
I to u Općini Grožnjan, u blizini mjesta Šterna. Šterna je skraćenica od riječi „cisterna”, što zapravo znači da se Istarska pustinja, za razliku od uobičajenih pustinja nalazi na mjestu nepresušnog izvora vode!
Istarska je pustinja dakle „prepuna života”, o čemu svjedoči mnoštvo drveća i ostalog zelenila. Deva doduše nema, ali kako se pustinja nalazi vrlo blizu naseljenog mjesta, mogla bi lako zalutati neka druga (domaća) životinja..
Ono zbog čega je ova lokacija dobila ime „pustinja” jesu dine lapora - sive sitnozrnate sedimentne stijene koja se sastoji od kalcita i gline. Dine lapora nisu rijetkost u Istri, no ono što ovaj prostor čini jedinstvenim jest velika koncentracija ovog oblika stijena na jednom prostoru koje doista ostavljaju dojam kao da se nalazite negdje usred pustinje…
Zato, ako još niste bili, svakako uvrstite Istarsku pustinju u svoj itinerar po Istri. Na putu do odredišta naići ćete na još mnogo živopisnih lokacija. Da bi ih sve obišli sigurno će vam trebati više vremena nego što ste inicijalno planirali, ali će zato vaš izlet po Istri učiniti nezaboravnim.
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Perhaps you did not know this, but Istria too has its own Desert!
It is located in the Municipality of Grožnjan, near the small place called Šterna. Šterna is an abbreviation of the word “cisterna” (or cistern), which actually means that the Istrian Desert, unlike other deserts is located in the place of an inexhaustible source of water!
The Istrian desert is therefore “full of life”, as can be seen from many trees and other greenery that grow there. Even though there are no camels, be not surprised if you come across some other (domestic) animals, like goats or cows, as the desert is located very close to a populated area.
The reason why this place became known as “the Desert” are the marl dunes – gray fine-grained sedimentary rocks consisting of calcine and clay. Marl dunes are quite common in Istria, but what makes this area unique is the large concentration of this rock in one area. This really gives you an impression of being somewhere in the middle of the Desert…
If you have not been there yet, you should definitely include the Istrian Desert to your Istrian itinerary. On the way to the Desert, you will come across many other colorful and magnificant locations, typical for Central Istria. It will take a bit longer (than originally planned) to see them all, but will definitely make your trip to Istrian Peninsula unforgettable.