Opatija

Opatija is the largest town on the eastern coast of Istria. It is the most famous and elegant tourist destination on the Croatian Adriatic coast. As an ideal tourist place for all seasons, Opatija is also the center of congress tourism. The past of Opatija is not long, despite the fact that its name is mentioned in 1453 as a Benedictine abbey on the remains of Roman buildings. The current settlement was named after the abbey of St. Jacob, which has existed in its present form since 1506. The oldest building in Opatija is the Villa Angiolina from 1844, surrounded by a beautifully landscaped park with su...

The Coastal Walk of Franz Joseph I

Lovran - Trg sv. Jurja (St. George Square)

Opatija - Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation

The Church of the Annunciation is also known among the locals of Opatija as the German Church. It is one of the most beautiful parts of the Opatija panorama in the area of Nova cesta Street, which is located in the upper part of the city. The external beauty of the church and its impressiveness adorns Opatija and gives it the shape of a complete city. The parish church is most easily accessible by stairs to the bus station. The interior of the church is dominated by granite and brick. Construction of the Church of the Annunciation began in 1906, at the same time as the construction of the monastery ne...

Opatija - Saint James Park

Opatija's Saint James Park is situated in the centre of the city, in the protected historic part, next to the Church of Saint James and the former monastery. Its location was the nucleus for the development of the city. Apart from the church, the park is surrounded by several other buildings that have played an important role in the history of tourism in Opatija: Hotel Milenij, the Hotel Imperial, Hotel Kvarner and Juraj Šporer Arts Pavilion. Saint James Park has several entrances. At the entrance from Opatija's main street – opposite the Hotel Imperial, there is an information board with the layout o...

Medveja - Hemingway Beach

Opatija - Saint James's Church

Saint James's Church is situated on the area of the Benedictine Abbey which gave its name to Opatija. Most probably built in 1420, as a colony of Benedictine refugees from the Friulian monastery of Saint Peter in Rozac, the whole settlement will late be named after this abbey. Today very little has been preserved of its original appearance: in 1506 abbot Simun reconstructed or built the church, according to the inscription above the portal; near the end of the 18th century the church was completely renovated, and in 1930 it was greatly expanded. Among its attraction, it houses a replica of Mestrović's ...