Croatian cultural heritage - Business - Hrvatska turistička zajednica

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The Kvarner Riviera is the cradle of Croatian tourism. At the centre of the Riviera
is OPATIJA, one of the first bathing resorts in central Europe and once the main
seaside resort for the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Many believe that the "official"
beginning of Croatian tourism was in 1844, when near the old abbey (hence
the name of the town) a villa called "Angiolina'' was built and it was the first building
designed to host the wealthiest of tourists.
Almost all the old hotels in Opatija have the same function today, and the vistas
of Opatija, drowned in the green hills of Učka, are the most popular tourist vistas
of the Kvarner Bay (1). Among these hotels, a special place is held by the hotel
"Kvarner" in the centre of Opatija (2), which due to its internal and external luxury
(5), has kept the spirit of ancient times, and is a favourite venue for important
events and performances. Other old hotels in Opatija such as the "Palace" (4),
"Zagreb" (10), ''Opatija'' (12) and many others aren’t any less luxurious.
Due to the very pleasant and healthy climate, Opatija has the role of climate health
spa, which was the reason these first hotels were built. Current health tourism facilities
include the famous “Thalassotherapy” (7). Opatija has a number of casinos
(13), fancy restaurants and coffee bars (16), and there is a well known 10 km long
coastal promenade (Lungomare), by which the picturesque old town of Lovran
can be reached. Lovran and the surrounding small towns, such as Medveje and
Ike, boast a large number of luxurious villas (11), often in attractive places (6).
The Opatija Riviera is marked by the lush imagination of old builders, whether
in the shapes of whole buildings (15), and balconies (8) or house fronts (14). This
came to the fore in the making and design of decorations for hotels and villas (3)
and the gorgeous interiors with valuable paintings and sculptures (9).
The unique historical importance of Kvarner as an area at the crossroads of
the Mediterranean and Central Europe, can be seen in the cultural heritage of
RIJEKA, the main Croatian port and most important city throughout western
Croatian.
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