Kringa

Kringa is a small, picturesque and quiet village with typical Istrian stone houses. It is located on the top of a hill five kilometers south of Tinjan, and near Pazin. The village was built on the remains of a prehistoric settlement and a Roman fortress. In the Middle Ages, Kringa was dangerous with ramparts, which unfortunately have not been maintained to this day. In the center of Kringa is the church of St. Peter and Paul from the 18th century, and in the immediate vicinity there are three older churches. Kringa is also a world acquaintance for the infamous story of a vampire named Jure Grando. He is the oldest European vampire with a name and surname, and about which there are written documents, and which has intrigued many researches.Jure Grando was a hardworking peasant from Kringa. He was a stonemason, lived on Grand's estate estate, and was in love with Ivana. The then-called- ruler of the property also liked Ivana, and tried to take time away from Jure on their first wedding night. Jure opposed this, and was killed so that the others would not try to follow his example and oppose the ruler. Jure was actually a damn romantic, driven by love for the rest of his life.Jure thus died in 1656. Already on the first night after he was buried, he returned among the living as a vampire, which he continued to do every night for the next 16 years. He terrorized the villagers by knocking on the door of the house, in which someone would soon die. This real torture of the villagers stopped only when his grave was opened 16 years later and his body was cut off. Legend has it that the nine bravest locals dared to open the tomb. The fully preserved body of the rosy Jure Grand was found inside.The story of Jure Grand is a symbol of Kringa and certainly a story that will be passed down for many more generations. Some in Grand still see fear, while others tell his tragic love story as an example of a struggle for principles and a loved ones.

№297 in Villages and settlements of Croatia