Croatia - Kvarner Bay (65/151)

Croatia - Kvarner Bay (65/151)

Since four large islands share the sea in the north-east of the Adria, Kvarner Bay was known as the "Mare Quaternarium" in Roman times. The lovely landscape of the bay with its many islands, islets and cliffs was the region where the Illyrians settled before it became part of the Roman Empire for many centuries. Abundant traces of this era can still be found today, for example in the city of Pula in Istria, which is the "gateway" to Kvarner Bay. The bay is situated on the border between the Roman-Italian and the Slavic-Croatian culture: the port of Rijeka used to be called Fiume, the seaside resort Opatjia was once known as Abbazia. Both cities share an eventful past. Byzantines, Venetians, Slavs and Italians came and went, then Austria-Hungary took over, finally Yugoslavia. Since Croatia has become a member of the EU, the region has moved once again into the centre of Europe, where it belongs historically. Over a hundred years ago, wealthy people came to the Gulf of Rijeka to enjoy the mild winter. Aristocrats and royals from the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary strolled along the "Opatjia Riviera". In Lovran and elsewhere they built villas, which together with old hotels now form an attractive backdrop for the modern seaside resorts. The islands, too, have mostly been spared the onslaught of mass tourism: Cres, Krk and Losinj with their mountain villages, their unspoiled karst landscapes and peaceful harbours offer the alternative of a rural idyll, in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Rijeka, which has now regained its importance as a port of the northern Adria.