Opatija - Adriatic Pearl - Your guide to perfect holiday

History of Opatija

Since her first tourist days, Opatija was precisely like that charming, leisurely, grandiose... a real gentlewomen.
As matter of fact it should not have been called Opatija!
The current Opatija, actually, sprung from the merging of several settlements situated on the sea coast Črnikovica, Volosko, Lipovica, Škrbići, Opatiia and Vasanska.
Between these settlements the oldest was definitely – Volosko.
"To Volosko to the nobility", was how the centre of the borough – the lowest but nevertheless honoured from of organized government.

OPATIJA was named after the Benedictine abbey (Opatija means abbey in Croatian) that was located oil the sea coast itself This small abbey was probably built in the beginning of the 12th century, as were all the other Benedictine abbeys in Istria and the region of Kvarner. There are records about the abbey from its very beginnings, and it is interesting that in the written documents it is spoken of under different names: as Saint Jacob's Abbey on the Kvarner, ad Preluca, ad Palum, ad Strocken, de Rosacis... the name "of the rose" hints at the flourishing plant life that surrounded the abbey building. The abbey and the church next to it were renovated and expanded in 1506 during the period of the abbot Simon (Šimun), as evidenced by the inscription on the lintel of Saint Jacob's Church.
Even before 1490, the Statute of the town of Kastav mentions the abbot of Saint Jacob at several points, "over there in Opatija (the Abbey)". The Benedictine abbey was at the time obviously in a vassal dependence towards the town of Kastav and the nobility of Kastavština. The Statute explicitlv quotes the obligations of the abbot of monastery. Each year he was obliged to give the Captain and judges of Kastav a proportion of chestnuts, which clearly illustrates that there were chestnuts on the monastery's estate whereas on the day celebrating Saint,lacob's day (July 25), the patron saint, he had to give the guards of the town of Kastav, who were also the guardians of the monastery, an obligatory proportion of wine, four oxen and twelve "loafs of bread".

Although small, due to it good incomes the Saint Jacob's abbey frequently changed proprietors in the past. Many yearned to have it as their own possession. It was under the ownership of the Kastavian nobility until 1552, when emperor Ferdinand gave it to the bishop Živković of Senj with exclusive rights of administering the monastery and disposing with its incomes. Three years later, this privilege was transferred to the Augustinian monastery in Rijeka. The Augustinians of' Rijeka sold it in 1723 to the powerful Jesuit seminary in Rijeka, and after the abolishment of the Jesuit order, during the nineties of the l8th century, it fell under the control of the collegiate body of the church in Rijeka.

In the course of the 19th century Opatija was far removed from the routes of transportation, since the main road from Rijeka northwards, southwards and westwards went through Kastav and Učka into Istria, or respectively, through Lipa and Rupa to Trieste or Ljubljana. Finally, in 1838, a road along the coast was built from Rijeka to Volosko. This marked the opening of this region to the populace of Rijeka and their guests, for now they could reach Volosko with a car and go on from there to Opatija.

In the middle of the last century, due to the increasing predominance of steamships over sailing ships, the importance of Volosko as a port of merchandise began to wane, and at the same time Opatija began to grow as a place of rest for the tired inhabitants of big and noisy cities.

In 1844 the patrician in Rijeka, Iginio Scarpa, built a summer house close to Saint Jacob's church, and named in Angiolina after his wife. That year is considered the beginning of tourism in Opatija, since from the first day the Villa Angiolina was visited by numerous business partners and friends of the Scarpa couple, verbally from all over the world.

At the end of 19. century, on a large plot of land that, at the time, extended from the port of Opatija to the church of Saint Jacob, the building of Opatija's first hotel began – Hotel Kvarner. At the same time the building of accompanying facilities, access roads,. seaside promenades and promenades up Mount Učka, water supply and big restaurant are under way. Ever since. Opatija, both summer and winter, has been the abode of reputable personalities.

At the end of the l9th century a regatta was held in Opatija, and at the time the section of the Austrian yacht club marked the beginning of yachting tourism.

Word about the divine little place on the Adriatic coast spread quickly throughout Europe. On March 4, 1889 Opatija was officially proclaimed as a health resort, and this inspired new constructions. Thus on September 24, 1896 Opatija gets electric lighting and power from it own electric station, and thanks to the monetary gift on the Rumanian royal couple, the promenade along the slopes of Mount Učka are further extended. Opatija welcomed the new century with more than sixteen kilometres of roads through woods and seven kilometres of a coastal road to Lovran, which was something unique in the tourist world of the time.

The list of famous guests who were enchanted by Opatija is a long one. It was visited by many a crowned head the Austrian emperor Francis Joseph ,the German and Swedish royal couples, the duke and duchess of Luxembourg, the royal couple of Rumania, king George of Greece, prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern, the Bulgarian queen, and many grand dukes, princes archdukes.

The First World War brought a stop to Opatija's growth. In spite of many endeavours, Opatija will no longer reach the level of the winter and summer resort and health resort hat it was prior to the dissolution of Austria Hungary. The Rapallo Treaty of November 12, 1920 annexed it to the Kingdom of Italy, and so it found itself in marginal part of a state and this hindered its tourist development.

After World War Two tourism came to life once again. The old hotel buildings are up dated their interiors are accommodated to co ordinate with the needs of the modern times. The opening of Thalassotherapia, which in co ordination with other hotels offers services of medical tourism of the highest level, once again makes Opatija a world known tourist and health centre. The building of luxurious hotels and tourist settlements enriches the tourist offer to new forms of tourism yachting and congressional. The doors of hotels and camps opened up to all categories of guests of Opatija's Riviera, so that along with traditional lovers of this region, tourists from distant European and overseas countries started to arrive all year round.