Parens, siue Parentium Vulvo Pareenzo Histrie Opp.

A woodcut from: Braun & Hogenberg's, Civitates Orbis Terrarum. It is of Parens or Parentium, commonly Porec, town in Istria. COMMENTARY BY BRAUN: "Porec is a town in Dalmatia on the Adriatic Sea. Bernhard von Breydenbach writes about it in his Reise nach Jerusalem: As Paris wanted to abduct Helena, he had his ships fortified in this city. [...]
From this town one can easily travel to Jerusalem, but obtaining a passport presents many difficulties since Dalmatiens and Istrians have different rulers. [...] And since no one is allowed to tour this countryside, topographers and geographers have also produced little on it."

Porec is depicted from the sea as a well-fortified town with towers and solid walls, in the foreground is St Nicholas's Island with a Benedictine monastery. Behind the high walls, in the Euphrasius basilica from the 6th century, is identifiable on the left, and, on the right, the church of St Mary. The town was founded in c. 100 BC, after the Roman conquest of the resident Histri.
Following the migration period Porec was under Byzantine rule for some 250 years, and, after alternating and unclear governance, the Venetians rose to power in 1267. Porec is today a major port on the west coast of Istria, with 17,000 residents.

Georg Braun, born 1542 and Frans Hogenberg, born around 1536, were German publishers and engravers, issued the famous six volume town book 'Civitates Orbis Terrarum' between 1572 and 1618. The volumes originally published in Latin, follow by German and French translations. The plates passed to Jan Janssonius who reissued the town books in 1657 while removing the costume figures on the plates. Braun died in 1622, Hogenberg in 1588.

Reference: Van der Krogt 4, 3985; Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg, p.187.