The historic centre is crisscrossed with narrow and typical medieval streets, each of them opening into a new ambience: square, balcony, traditional architecture, narrowness or sea or town view. Some are paved in stone slabs, some come in the form of a stairway, they can be quite steep, reflecting the prominence of the position of the historic centre.
The old town of Vrsar follows the medieval concept of a walled-in town and the characteristic street layout. Its streets are narrow, mostly not of equal width, very winding, stretching through the fabric of the town among numerous buildings. All streets in Vrsar are on a slope, following the natural shape of the hill on which Vrsar is situated. Such a narrow ambient resembles a labyrinth – each corner, climb or intersection opens to reveal a new architectural detail (a window, balcony, staircase, gate or entrance), and with it a micro-architectural ambiental whole, as a kind of a challenge and surprise for travellers, guests or tourists.
Throughout history the name Vrsar had many different forms: Ursaria, Ursarium, Vrsarium, Orsaria and others. They all have the same root - “ur”, which means “source”.
Vrsar is a settlement which has been undergoing urban development since the turn of the late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
The Municipal Square is also called Communal Square. In the architectural sense, it was designed in the Middle Ages on the location above the small town gate. Throughout history, it contained the parish church, a bell tower, a pillory in its middle, a market and a place where feudal levies were collected. It also served as a place of publicity because the authorities gave proclamations and orders there. It was also the place where public punishments were carried out.The square got its current appearance during the Austrian reign in Istria, and its final appearance was arrived at in the first half of the 20th century, when the old parish Church of St Martin and the accompanying bell tower were demolished so that the square could be expanded. The Municipal Square is called Degrassi Square today.
