Town in Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Croatia
Opatija
Abbazia
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Grad Opatija
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From top; Opatija riviera with statue of "
Girl with a Seagull
", Hotel Birstol, Opera House,
Nikola Tesla
star on Opatija's walk of fame, view of harbour, Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "Grand Hotel Palace" and Grand Hotel & cafe "Paris".
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Flag
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Location of Opatija within Croatia
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Coordinates:
45°20′N
14°18′E
/
45.333°N 14.300°E
/
45.333; 14.300
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Country
|
Croatia
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County
| Primorje-Gorski Kotar
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? Mayor
| Fernando Kirigin
SDP
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? City Council
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?
Town
| 67.2 km
2
(25.9 sq mi)
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? Urban
| 3.5 km
2
(1.4 sq mi)
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Elevation
| 0 m (0 ft)
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?
Town
| 10,619
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? Density
| 160/km
2
(410/sq mi)
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?
Urban
| 5,701
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? Urban density
| 1,600/km
2
(4,200/sq mi)
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Time zone
| UTC+1
(
CET
)
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? Summer (
DST
)
| UTC+2
(
CEST
)
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Postal code
| 51 410
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Area code
| 051
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Website
| opatija
.hr
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Opatija
(
Croatian:
[op?tija]
;
Italian
:
Abbazia
;
German
:
Sankt Jakobi
) is a
town
and a municipality in
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
in northwestern
Croatia
. The traditional
seaside resort
on the
Kvarner Gulf
is known for its
Mediterranean climate
and its historic buildings reminiscent of the
Austrian Riviera
.
Geography
[
edit
]
Opatija is located 18 km (11 mi) northwest of the regional capital
Rijeka
, about 90 km (56 mi) from
Trieste
by rail and 82 km (51 mi) from
Pula
by road. The city is geographically on the
Istrian
peninsula, though not in
Istria County
. The tourist resort is situated on the Kvarner Gulf, part of the
Adriatic
coast, in a sheltered position at the foot of
U?ka
massif, with the
Vojak
peak reaching at a height of 1,401 m (4,596 ft). as of 2021
[update]
census, the municipality had 10,661 inhabitants in total, of which 5,715 lived in the urban settlement.
The town is a popular summer and winter resort, with average high temperatures of 10 °C in winter, and 32 °C in summer. Opatija is surrounded by beautiful woods of
bay laurel
. The whole sea-coast to the north and south of Opatija is rocky and picturesque, and contains several smaller winter resorts.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
Opatija was included in the territory of the
Liburni
, a pre-Roman
Illyrian
tribe. In
Roman
times, the area was home to several patrician villas connected to the nearby town of
Castrum Laureana
, the modern
Lovran
.
Croats
settled in the region from about 700 AD onwards. Conquered by King
Pepin of Italy
, son of
Charlemagne
, in 789, the Istrian peninsula up to the Kvarner Gulf was incorporated into the Carolingian
March of Friuli
by 803. In the east, it bordered on the medieval
Kingdom of Croatia
established by King
Tomislav
about 925. Having invaded
Italy
, King
Otto of Germany
made the Istrian lands part of the vast
March of Verona and Aquileia
; from the 11th century onwards, the
Imperial
estates were held by the
Patriarchs of Aquileia
.
In the Middle Ages the current town's territory was divided between Veprinac (now a locality of Opatija, perhaps home to a small fishing port) and
Kastav
, where the fisherman village of Veprinac. The small hamlet of Opatija itself developed around a
Benedictine
abbey dedicated to
Saint Jacob
, which was first mentioned in 1453. While western Istria was gradually conquered by the
Republic of Venice
by 1420, the remaining territory up to Opatija fell to the
House of Habsburg
and later was incorporated into the
Austrian Littoral
.
The town's modern history began in 1844, when Iginio Scarpa (1794?1866), a wealthy merchant from Rijeka, had the Villa Angiolina manor built in an extended park, where he received notable guests such as Ban
Josip Jela?i?
. In 1873 the
Austrian Southern Railway
company from
Vienna
opened the branch line from
Pivka
to Rijeka via nearby
Matulji
and thus opened the path for the development of tourism in Opatija and neighbouring
Lovran
. In 1882, the railway company purchased the Villa Angiolina, where it accommodated the crown princely couple
Rudolf
and
Stephanie
. At the time, Friedrich Julius Schuler (1832?1894), the Managing Director of the Southern Railways, started the construction of the
Hotel Quarnero
(Kvarner Hotel) and the
Hotel Kronprinzessin Stephanie
(present-day Hotel Imperial), and also was responsible for the unique lungomare and parks (the Company engaged Carl Schubert, director of the Viennese Emperial-Royal Society for the construction of parks). The Villa Angiolina was later run by the
Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits
. In the Angiolina Park today stands Schuler's bust, a work of the sculptor Hans Rathausky.
In 1887, Heinrich von Littrow established the "Union Yacht Club Quarnero" in Opatija (founded in June/July 1886); this was the first sailing club on the Adriatic coast. In 1889 the
Cisleithanian
government officially declared Abbazia (Opatija) the first climatic seaside resort (
Seebad
) on the Austrian Riviera, rivalled by
Brioni
,
Duino
,
Grado
, and
Portoro?
. After the hotels, the building of villas started, for the needs of more demanding noble guests. The first Villa Amalia, in the immediate vicinity of the Hotel Quarnero, was built in 1890 as the hotel's annex. Opatija's first guide was published in 1883 in
Vienna
with the title
Abbazia, Idylle von der Adria
. The same year saw the publication of
Abbazia und seine Umgebung
(
Opatija and its Environs
) by Heinrich Noe, who in 1884 published his
Tagebuch aus Abbazia (Diary from Opatija)
. Joseph Rable printed
Curort und Seebad Abbazia (Spa and the bathing beach in Opatija)
, and Peter von Radics wrote a guidebook simply titled
Abbazia
.
In 1908 a tramway line was opened, running from Matulji station along the coast via Opatija down to Lovran in the south. Opatija is best known nowadays as the venue for a 1912
chess
tournament devoted to the
King’s Gambit
. The Austrian emperor
Franz Joseph I
used to spend several months there during the winter. He met there with the German emperor
Wilhelm II
on 29 March 1894; other crowned heads seeking relaxation included
Empress Elisabeth of Austria
and the German empress
Augusta Victoria
, King
Carol I of Romania
and his consort
Elisabeth
, King
George I of Greece
,
Albert, King of Saxony
,
William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
, and Prince
Nikola I Petrovi?-Njego?
. Many of the late 19th-century luxury hotels and villas have survived to present times.
During World War I the Hotel Icicii was converted to a military hospital. The accompanying pictures show the nursing staff and wounded at lunch, on the grounds, and receiving care.
[1]
[
permanent dead link
]
In 1920 Opatija was assigned to Italy. The upper floor of Villa Amalia was built in 1930, and the building was renovated to become the summer residence of the
House of Savoy
.
In 1947 Opatija was given to
Yugoslavia
as part of the
peace treaty with Italy
; most of the Italian-speaking population emigrated to Italy. In 1963 the Hotel Adriatic, by the architect Andrija ?i?in-?ain and his team was completed. Hotel "Adriatic" was the first hotel built in Opatija after the Austro-Hungarian era. The rooms of hotel "Adriatic" have been described as novelties in the hospitality industry. The "Casino Rosalia" was opened in Opatija ? the first casino in Eastern Europe. In 1981 the Hotel "Admiral" and marina (200 berths and 40 dry berths) were completed.
After the
breakup of Yugoslavia
which began in 1991, the town became part of Croatia.
Population
[
edit
]
Historical population of Opatija
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1880
| 4,775
| ?
|
---|
1890
| 5,994
| +25.5%
|
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1900
| 8,430
| +40.6%
|
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1910
| 11,825
| +40.3%
|
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1921
| 9,625
| ?18.6%
|
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1931
| 11,865
| +23.3%
|
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1948
| 10,098
| ?14.9%
|
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1953
| 9,920
| ?1.8%
|
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1961
| 11,154
| +12.4%
|
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1971
| 12,242
| +9.8%
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1981
| 13,614
| +11.2%
|
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1991
| 13,566
| ?0.4%
|
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2001
| 12,719
| ?6.2%
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2011
| 11,659
| ?8.3%
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2021
| 10,661
| ?8.6%
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Source: Naselja i stanovni?tvo Republike Hrvatske 1857?2001, DZS, Zagreb, 2005
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Landmarks
[
edit
]
The 14th-century Benedictine
abbey
,
Opatija Sv. Jakova
("Abbey of Saint Jacob"), from which the town derives its name (
opatija
means "
abbey
" in
Croatian
) is located in
Park Svetog Jakova
or Saint Jacob's Park. Saint Jacob's church, built in 1506 and enlarged in 1937, now stands on the same spot. The neo-Romanesque Church of the Annunciation with its pronounced green cupola, was designed in 1906 by architect Karl Seidl.
Another sight is the Villa Angiolina, built in 1844 by Iginio Scarpa. This villa, transformed into a museum. Since 1844. Villa Angiolina had many prominent guests
Opatija is known for the
Maiden with the seagull
, a statue by Zvonko Car (1956), which is positioned on a promontory by the
Juraj ?porer
art pavilion. It has turned into one of symbols of Opatija. A gilded variant of the statue Madonna, that once stood here but was demolished by communists after the end of World War II, now stands in front of Saint Jacob's Church.
The town park Angiolina contains many species of plants from all over the world. It has been protected since 1968. Close-by, vis-a-vis Hotel Imperial, stands the statue
The Fountain - Helios and Selena
, a work of the Austrian sculptor
Hans Rathautsky
from 1889. There is a 12 km-long promenade along the entire riviera, the Lungomare from
Volosko
, via Opatija, to
Lovran
and a 7 km-long forest path walk, the
?etali?te Carmen Sylve
, named after
Elisabeth of Wied
, Queen consort of Romania, widely known by her literary name of Carmen Sylva.
Film location
[
edit
]
Several scenes of "The Legacy Run"
[5]
have been shot in Opatija. The movie, in good part shot in the Opatija-Rijeka region, is the conceptual prequel of the international TV Series "Sport Crime".
[6]
Notable people
[
edit
]
Gallery
[
edit
]
Twin towns?Sister cities
[
edit
]
Opatija is
twinned
with:
[7]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Opatija
.
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45°20′N
14°18′E
/
45.333°N 14.300°E
/
45.333; 14.300
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International
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National
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Geographic
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