Vižinada


Vižinada is a village and municipality in the interior of the western part of Istria, Croatia. It is 17 km northeast of Poreč, with an elevation of 400 m. The economy is agriculture-based.

Demographics

The total municipality population is 1,155, distributed in the following settlements:
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 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 folk feasts Krostulijada, St. Mary and St. Valentine.

In popular culture

In 1969, various locations in Vižinada was 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 shows Vižinada as seen in the film. The church tower is where the characters Cowboy and Gutowski 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 approached it to confront the commander.