St. Andrew - quayside

Certainly one of the most beautiful of Rovinj's archipelagos and by all means one of the biggest - with a size of 233.000 m2 and one of the most attractive ones is the Red Island which is located nearby Rovinj, only a 15 minute boat-trip away (see map). It is made up of two little islands, St. Andrew and Maskin, which are connected through an embankment.

St. Andrew was probably already populated in prehistorical times and in the 6th century the Benedictines erected the first church and founded the first monastery. They left the island in the 13th century. A litle bit later, in the mid 15th century, the abandoned objects were handed over to the Franciscans, thanks to who the monastery and the church were completely renovated. The Franciscans stayed there until the arrival of the French in 1809, after which the buildings on the island of St. Andrew started to decay. This period lasted until 1892, when a cement and lime factory was founded. At that time the church tower served as the factory chimney.

	Beach

The Huetterott family bought the islands Maskin and St. Andrew in 1891 which rearranged the monastery into a family summer residence, and the very island was reorganized into a park that was planted with various plants from the whole world. Currently over 180 different kinds of plants are growing successfully on the island. J.G. Huetterott equipped the summer residence with many objects of art, and some of them are still in the castle. During that period the island had been the most favourite destination of guests from Austria-Hungary.

The central part of the church from the Benedictinian period, that in the ground-plan has the shape of a Greek cross, was maintained on the island. Today, this part has a small nautical museum with scale models of old ships and copies of frescoes from whole Istria. One part of the original frescoes is currently undergoing restauration. In the 1890s the monastery had been rearranged into the castle Huetterott, and on the neighbouring small island Maskin the family vault is located.
Unfortunately, in mid June 2002, the island was hit by a rough storm, when a large part of the hundred year old pines and other trees was devastated, so that the natural beauty of St. Andrew and especially that of Maskin, is damaged. Currently the island's plant covering is being improved.

The recently renovated hotel «Istra» is located on the island and it offers different kinds of programmes which enrich the overall offer for the visitors of St. Andrew. The hotel is a three-star hotel where you can find a snack-bar, a restaurant, a pizza-place, a fitness-center, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a hairdresser, a TV-room. The fomer Huetterott castle is now an annex of the Istra hotel, where you can find a restaurant, a bar and a nautical museum. The museum is opened on request, you only have to ask for the key at the reception.

St. Andrew Church

Guests who are more interested in sports than only lying on the beach have a variety of choices, since the island has three tennis courts, a service where you can rent boards for windsurfing, as well as pedal and motor boats. There you will also find a mini golf court, tables for table-tennis, a windsurfing and diving school, briefly, a little bit of something for everybody.

The beach on the island is partly gravelly, suitable for families with smaller children. The neighbouring Maskin island is reserved for nudists .

The boat to Red Island sets out from two different places in town, from the town harbour and from the parking lot «Delfin». During full season the boat sets out every hour, the first one leaves already at 5.30 a.m. whereas the last boat that leaves the mainland sets out at midnight. Boaters can use a small harbour and have the possibilty to use a berth.

Text: Slobodan Hercigonja