Vižinada ( Italian: Visinada) is a village and municipality in the interior of the western part of Istria, Croatia. It is 17 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of Poreč at an elevation of 400 metres (1,300 ft). The economy is agriculture-based.

History and culture

The parish was first mentioned in 1177, in the papal document granting a privilege to the bishop of Poreč. Vižinada is located at the intersection of the main road Buje - Pula (M2, E751) and a local road toward Poreč.

Despite various attempts at defacing stone effigies of the Lion of St Mark in the square and church interior, the township and its environs were under Venetian control at various periods throughout history.

Traditional events are Versi na sterni, festival of poetry, as well as the folk feasts of Krostulijada, St. Mary and St. Valentine.

The famous ballet story of Giselle was created in Vižinada. There is also the Gothic church of St. Mary with a stone head on the facade which, according to legend, depicts Attila, the Hun general.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, its population was 1,142 with 269 living in the village proper.

The total municipality population was 1,155, distributed in the following settlements:

In popular culture

In 1969, various locations in Vižinada were used as sets during the filming of the heist film Kelly's Heroes; the village was used as a stand-in for the French town of Clermont, with the script having a German-held bank full of gold bullion being up for grabs. Yugoslavia itself had been chosen for a shooting location for, among other reasons, that at the time it was one of the few nations whose army still possessed operational WWII-era tanks and other vehicles suitable for use in the film. Vižinada today remains mostly the same as it was in the production, as seen in the photograph of the church square, in which the confrontation with the Tiger tank takes place.

The photograph (right) shows Vižinada as seen in the film. The church tower is where the characters Cowboy (Jeff Morris) and Gutowski (Richard Davalos) are positioned, overlooking the town square, and the bank. To the right of the photograph, where the gentleman is standing, the Tiger Tank was sitting, as the three men (Kelly, Oddball and Big Joe) approached it to confront the commander.