European Capital of Culture in 2020, home of Croatia’s fieriest carnival, Rijeka is a destination apart. Straddling the Gulf of Kvarner, halfway between Zagreb and Istria, it is linked to Dalmatia by Jadrolinija ferries based at this busy port, and to Central Europe by the train line that echoes its Habsburg roots. With the city in full swing for summer, we highlight ten curiosities about this fascinating city that should whet your appetite for your next visit.
Cradle of the torpedo
A strange claim to fame, true, but Rijeka was where the world’s first modern torpedo was developed, by English engineer Robert Whitehead and Austro-Hungarian naval officer Giovanni Lupis, in the 1860s.
Croatia’s only computer museum
Rijeka is home of PEEK&POKE, Croatia’s only computer museum, dedicated to the formative years of the technology we cannot do without today. Peek&Poke is also a club for enthusiasts, allowing fans of retro gaming to try their hand on consoles long forgotten.
A playboy state
At a strange juncture in history, Rijeka was taken over by an Italian poet and playboy, Gabriele D’Annunzio, who occupied the Governor’s Palace for 17 months in the aftermath of World War I. With a mere 300 volunteers, mainly veterans and deserters, D’Annunzio invaded Rijeka and announced its union with Italy. Sadly, Italy wasn’t too keen and so he simply claimed for his own. In December 1920, the Italian navy bombarded the city to force D’Annunzio out, and he ended his days waiting for an invite back. It never came.
Titanic legend
Everyone knows the tragic story of the Titanic, the mighty liner sunk by an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. The ship that rescued hundreds of victims that night, the Carpathia, was in fact bound for Rijeka from New York. Having carried out its heroic duty and transported freezing survivors on to New York, the Tyneside-built ship then recommenced its original voyage to present-day Croatia. On board was 18-year-old waiter Josip Car from Crikvenica, who had helped in the rescue and had kept one of the lifejackets as a souvenir. Years later, he donated it to the City. Today it is on display at the Maritime & History Museum of the Croatian Littoral in the Governor’s Palace, one of only five confirmed original lifejackets from the Titanic, and the only one on permanent display in Europe.
Wild rockers
Croatia’s most controversial and notorious rock band, Let3, are from Rijeka. While the group may not be to everyone’s taste – their frequent obscene performances on stage and on TV have caused many negative public reactions, let alone lawsuits – Let3 do represent the city’s fiery independent spirit.
Leaning Tower
Not only Pisa has leaning towers. Rijeka’s Church of the Assumption, built around the same time in the 1300s, may not be as spectacular but leans some 40cm from its base to its belfry. You’ll find it right in town, close to the canal and focal Titov trg.
Frontiers and skyscrapers
In the years between the wars, the canal where the Hotel Continental now stands formed the frontier between Italy and what would become Yugoslavia. In order to show their neighbours just how ambitious they could be, local Croats then commissioned Josip Pičman to design a huge skyscraper overlooking the border area. This proved to be a fateful decision, as the architect duly committed suicide during its construction. It was eventually completed in 1947 by his successor, Alfred Albint, by which time moves were underway to incorporate the whole of Rijeka into Yugoslavia. The building became the Hotel Neboder, which it remains today: Hotel Skyscraper.
Fairytale of New York
The longest-serving mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia, considered one of the greatest to hold office, spent part of his formative years as an administrator in Rijeka. Though born in Greenwich Village, La Guardia had familial ties to this region – his parents had met and married in Trieste. In the early 1900s, as a young man, the later attorney and politician worked at US consulates in Budapest, Trieste and… Rijeka. A fluent Croatian speaker, La Guardia also worked as an interpreter at the immigration centre on Ellis Island. Mayor of the Big Apple until 1945, he died shortly afterwards. One of the city’s airports still carries his name.
From Ballynacor to Trsat
Born in Ballynacor, Ireland, in 1777, the later Laval Nugent von Westmeath followed his father into the military and distinguished himself by helping Austrian forces rid Croatia of Napoleon. He was also involved in the liberation of Rome shortly afterwards. Becoming Field Marshal in 1849, Nugent later settled in Croatia, passing away at the ripe old age of 84 at Bosiljevo Castle in Karlovac. In recognition for his services, the authorities built a grand mausoleum in his honour, siting it beside Trsat Castle in Rijeka, commanding a magnificent view of the Gulf of Kvarner.
Unknown Klimt
One of the most famous artists of the 20th century, Austrian Gustav Klimt, best known for his painting The Kiss, worked on the decoration for the Croatian National Theatre, still a major landmark in Rijeka. In 1885, along with his brother Ernst and school friend Franz Matsch, the later erotic symbolist created a number of allegories still on display here today. The works received a thorough restoration in 2018. An exhibition about this historic coincidence took place at the City Museum in Rijeka from April 2021 to March 2022.