Opatija is a town in western Croatia, just southwest of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast. The town proper has a population of 8,000, with the municipality having a total of 13,000 inhabitants. Opatija is situated in the Gulf of Kvarner in a sheltered position at the foot of Učka mountain, with Vojak peak at 1401 m. Opatija is located 90 km from Trieste by rail and 82 km from Pula by road. The city is geographically on the Istrian peninsula, though it is not in Istria county, but Primorje-Gorski Kotar county.
It became a fashionable destination for the Austrian imperial family and Austrian nobility and soon more luxury hotels and villas were built. The first luxury hotel – Hotel “Quarnero” (1884) (today “Grand Hotel Kvarner”) was built to the plans by the Viennese architect Franz Wilhelm. The hotel Kronprinzessin Stephanie is opened in 1885, named after crown princess Stephanie, wife of Rudolf of Habsburg, and they both appeared at the opening. Architect Franz Wilhelm offered all luxury to the guests of the hotel, from the central heating to the pool, and, later, the cinema hall, which has been connected to the central part of the hotel. The Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I used to spend several months here during the winter. Many of these late 19th-century luxury hotels and villas have survived to present times.
In 1887 – Heinrich von Littrow established the “Union Yacht Club Quarnero” in Opatija (founded in June / July 1886) – the first sailing club on the Adriatic. In 1889 The Austrian government officially declared Abbazia (Opatija) as the first climatic seaside resort on the Adriatic. After hotels, started the building of villas, for the needs of more demanding guests. The first villa was the “Amalia”, in the immediate vicinity of the hotel “Quarnero” in 1890 as hotel’s annex.
In 2004, 160th anniversary of tourism in Opatija, the Exclusive hotels “Wisteria” (ex “Continental”), “Melia” (ex “Soča”), “Camelia” (ex “Brijuni”) and “Magnolia” (ex “Miran”) were open under the name of the Grand Hotel 4 Opatijan flowers as well as Hotels “Miramar” and “Savoy” (ex “Dubrovnik”).
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.
