November 10, 2019
Nestled between the Učka mountain range and the Adriatic, Opatija has long been a tourist drawcard. Each year, thousands of visitors stay in the Habsburg-era hotels that line its main streets, enjoying a variety of restaurants and cafes, as well as museums, concerts and other attractions. Indeed, the good life seems to be ingrained in the town’s DNA. But there’s more to the pearl of the Kvarner Gulf than most people realise.
The Longest Riva in Croatia
Visitors to Croatia’s coastal towns will be familiar with the riva many of them have—a pedestrian promenade where locals chat and gossip while tourists hop from one restaurant or bar to another. While Split’s riva is probably the most well-known, Croatia’s longest riva actually runs through Opatija. Completed in the early twentieth century, the Lungomare stretches 12 kilometres from Volosko to Lovran. Stately Austro-Hungarian-era villas and overhanging branches of oak and laurel make a stroll along the Lungomare a memorable one. For a touch of glamour, visitors can check out the Lungomare’s Croatian Walk of Fame, Opatija’s answer to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
Roll Out the Red Carpet
Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević isn’t the only A-lister to have graced Opatija’s streets. Up until the mid-twentieth century, Opatija’s history as a tourist resort made it a magnet for other people from the arts, science and culture. A mural in Opatija’s Angiolina Park reveals some of the celebrities who have visited Opatija over the decades: Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas, physicist Albert Einstein and writer James Joyce, among others. And with singers Diana Krall and Eros Ramazzotti performing in Opatija earlier this year, the legacy is set to continue.
Classic Cars
For another peek into the past, Opatija offers lovers of vintage automobiles the chance to see—and maybe even drive—their favourite set of wheels. Every June, members ofOpatija’s Liburnia Classic Club organise a rally that brings together some of the most stylish cars from yesteryear. From various Mercedes and Jaguar convertibles to the Aston Martin James Bond drove in Thunderball, the rally turns Opatija into a car show like no other.
Moho-who?
What could Opatija, earthquakes and the Moon have in common? Just check out the bust of Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić in Volosko, in the north of Opatija. Born in 1857, Mohorovičić was a precocious child who spoke four languages by his fifteenth birthday.Later, his discovery of the boundary between the Earth’s crust and mantle—the Mohorovičić discontinuity—and other work eventually led to a crater on the far side of the Moon being named after him.
A Seagull’s View of the Adriatic
One of the most scenic views of Croatia can be found in Veprinac, a small settlement in the hills above Opatija. From the yard of Veprinac’s St Mark’s church, built in the middle ages, visitors’ eyes can soar above the Kvarner Gulf and the islands of Krk and Cres—and, on a clear day, to the Velebit mountains and the other Kvarner islands beyond.
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