Pazin is the administrative center of Istria County and already in the 19th century, mostly because of its central position on the Peninsula, but importance as well, came to be called the “heart of Istria”. The fascinating picture of the medieval Castle of Pazin (Kaštel), situated above the 130 m cliff where the Pazinčica River flows into the Pazin Pit, inspired the renowned French writer Jules Verne as the setting for part of his novel “Mathias Sandorf”, published in 1885. Today there is a Jules Verne club in Pazin and every year at the end of June the Days of Jules Verne are organized.

As a special morphological and hydrological phenomenon, the Pazin Pit was proclaimed a protected landscape in 1964. In the vicinity of the town there are several very interesting medieval towns, whereas devotees of active vacation can enjoy the attractive 10-kilometer-long hiking trail of St. Simon.