Opatija
Opatija
Abbazia | |
---|---|
Grad Opatija | |
Coordinates: 45°20′N 14°18′E / 45.333°N 14.300°E | |
Country | Croatia |
County | Primorje-Gorski Kotar |
Government | |
• Mayor | Fernando Kirigin SDP |
• City Council | 15 members[1] |
Area UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Postal code | 51 410 |
Area code | 051 |
Website | opatija |
Opatija (Croatian: [opǎtija]; Italian: Abbazia; German: Sankt Jakobi) is a town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western 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
Opatija is located 18 km (11 mi) northwest of the regional capital
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
History
Opatija was included in the territory of the
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
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 Jelačić. 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 Stéphanie. At the time, Friedrich Julius Schüler (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 Schüler'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
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
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
Population
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1880 | 4,775 | — |
1890 | 5,994 | +25.5% |
1900 | 8,430 | +40.6% |
1910 | 11,825 | +40.3% |
1921 | 9,625 | −18.6% |
1931 | 11,865 | +23.3% |
1948 | 10,098 | −14.9% |
1953 | 9,920 | −1.8% |
1961 | 11,154 | +12.4% |
1971 | 12,242 | +9.8% |
1981 | 13,614 | +11.2% |
1991 | 13,566 | −0.4% |
2001 | 12,719 | −6.2% |
2011 | 11,659 | −8.3% |
2021 | 10,661 | −8.6% |
Source: Naselja i stanovništvo Republike Hrvatske 1857–2001, DZS, Zagreb, 2005 |
population | 4491 | 4159 | 4775 | 5994 | 8430 | 11825 | 9625 | 11865 | 10098 | 9920 | 11154 | 12242 | 13614 | 13566 | 12719 | 11659 | 10619 |
1857 | 1869 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1921 | 1931 | 1948 | 1953 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 |
Landmarks
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 Šporer 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
Film location
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
- Theodor Billroth (1829–1894), died in Opatija
- Robert Gerle (1924–2005), born in Opatija
- Drago Gervais (1904–1957), born in Opatija
- Kosta Hakman (1899–1961), died in Opatija
- Franz Graf von Meran(1839–1891), died in Opatija
- Frank Horvat (1928-2020), born in Opatija
- Andrija Mohorovičić (1857–1936), born in Opatija
- Leo Sternbach (1908–2005), born in Opatija
- Gyula Szapáry (1832–1905), died in Opatija
Gallery
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Maiden with the Seagull
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St. Jacob's Church
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Villa Angiolina
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Hotel Kvarner
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Hotel Opatija
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Fiat Mokarabia at the Chocolate Festival
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Miroslav Krleža statue
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Opatija at night
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"Ambasador" Hotel
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Beaches
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Bronze bust of Anton Chekhov
Twin towns—Sister cities
Opatija is
- Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy
- Ilirska Bistrica, Slovenia
- Balatonfüred, Hungary
- Carmagnola, Italy
- Bad Ischl, Austria
- Ferrara, Italy
See also
Notes
- ^ "Konačni rezultati izbora 2021" (PDF) (in Croatian). Retrieved 2 June 2021.[permanent dead link]
- Wikidata Q119585703.
- ^ "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2021 Census". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
- ^ public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abbazia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 10. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ "The Legacy Run". 1 January 2000 – via IMDb.
- ^ "Sport Crime". Archived from the original on 2016-06-25. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
- ^ "Opatija's Twin towns — Sister cities". © 2004–2017 Opatija.net.