Care for Urban and Suburban Space in the Statutes of Northwestern Istrian Towns (Thirteenth–Eighteenth Century)

Abstract

The medieval statutes of the Istrian towns of Trieste, Muggia, Koper, Izola, and Piran governed municipal administration, ensured safety and order in the respective settlements, and shaped the lives of their inhabitants. The paper focuses on the sections of these towns’ statutes that regulated the urban environment, while also considering the statutes of several other Istrian urban settlements. The statutory provisions aimed at maintaining the urban space of the towns as well as an orderly and rational use of their hinterlands. They sought to ensure fire safety and cleanliness and restricted areas for keeping livestock. The statutes offer historians a wide range of opportunities for studying different aspects of everyday urban life.