An exhibition just opened on Mali Lošinj celebrates the bravery and seamanship of those who sailed to the furthest corners of the Earth from the northern Adriatic during the age of sail.
Conceived by the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral in Rijeka and organised with the Lošinj Museum here at the Fritzi Palace overlooking the waterfront, Across the World's Seas puts particular focus on the heroic exploits of the 1870s.
As Rijeka became a major port in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so far-reaching expeditions went as far as the Arctic in 1872-1874 and Australia in 1875.
Rijeka captain and round-the-world sailor Ivan Visin, and Lošinj captain Anton Celestin Ivančić, were both decorated in Vienna for their achievements. The ships they sailed were built in Kvarner shipyards, echoing a centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship.
The exhibition runs until November 2.
Across the World's Seas, Lošinj Museum, Fritzi Palace, Vladimira Gortana 35, 51550 Mali Lošinj. Open Sept 16-30 Tue-Sat 10am-1pm, 5pm-7pm. From Oct 1 Tue-Sat 10am-1pm.