Rijeka

Rijeka is reflected in Korzo, at Korzo you can read Rijeka. Anyone who, at least once, had a coffee at one of the terraces of numerous and picturesque café bars lined along this unusual promenade, would agree.

Perched atop a hill 138 metres high, Trsat Castle offers an impressive view over Rijeka. These days, the castle brims with new amenities and events. It's home to a visual arts gallery and hosts a variety of open-air concerts and theatre performances. It also becomes a stylish runway for fashion shows and a cosy corner for literary evenings — truly a beacon of culture and arts.

St Vitus Cathedral is the only Baroque rotunda of monumental proportions built on Croatian soil. The construction of this church, designed by the Jesuit architect G. Briano, began in 1638. The cathedral was modeled after the famous Venetian church of Santa Maria della Salute.

Experience the mysterious side of Rijeka, the one telling a story from times immemorial, the story about the old Romans who moved the Palaeolithic and Neolithic Rijeka from the edges of the today’s city closer to the sea, which means that from the main Rijeka's promenade – Korzo you step into the passage under the city tower leading to the “old Rijeka”. It is enough to pass through only a few metres long “small tunnel” to step into Rijeka's history so nicely incorporated in the present.

The Rijeka Tunnel, also called TunelRi, served as a shelter for civilians from the aerial bombings during the endgame of Second War II, or during the Civil War. With its 330 metres, it stretches below the Old Town to the Dolac Primary School; the main gate is located right next to the Cathedral of St Vitus. In 2017, after 75 years, the tunnel has been opened to the public and is one of the main attractions of the city, still featuring original signs.

At the Peek&Poke Computer Museum, located a short walk from the city centre, you will find over 2,000 exhibits of worldwide and local computer history, and discover how the technology has changed, from the old calculators to video games. Unlike other museums, everything that is displayed can be touched. On-site you'll also find a library and a lounge.

In the northwest corner of Titov Square stands a Baroque chapel with a relief of Madonna with the Child on its front. This passable chapel resembles a small triumphal arch and marks the beginning of the Petar Kružić Stairway that lead to the famous pilgrimage centre, the Franciscan monastery at Trsat. The steps were built in 1531 by order of Warlord Petar Kružić, and were built up over the centuries (up to today's over 500 steps) and adorned with votive chapels.

Passing under the round City Tower, the former main medieval town entrance that gave access to the coast, you enter the centre of Rijeka's Old Town. Located in the modern-day Ivan Kobler Square, there was once a more compact municipal centre called Placa, which served the significantly smaller fortified medieval town.

The breakwater of the main port’s pool is known as the “Molo longo” because of its length — 1,707 metres! Today, it serves a function as a passenger terminal and coastal promenade. The construction plans and preparations for the Breakwater began in 1872 and it was completed in 1888. It was named Molo Maria Teresa after the Empress for her historic influence on the development of the city.

This tiny museum was founded in 1876 and is known for being the first regional museum in Rijeka. It showcases sea life of the Adriatic Sea and features highlights such as the "Aquarium" multimedia centre, permanent exhibits of sharks, rays and marine invertebrates. Beside the marine life, there is also a geology wing.

This compact museum displays a varied number of collections, ranging from artworks by national artists like Božidar Rašica, Romolo Venucci and Slavko Grčko, as well as collections of drawings, graphics, sculptures, posters, paintings, photographs and media art.

Villa Ružić, named after its owner Viktor Ružić, is important first for its architecture (projected by architect David Brunetta) but mainly because it stores a wide collection of 10,000 books. The collection includes Ivan Mažuranić’s library and his archive; the manuscript of Gundulić’s epic poem "Osman" from 1647 — a gift from Petar Petrović Njegoš. Alongside the Memorial library, you'll find a wide collection of photographs, documents and antique furniture.

The Glagolitic alphabet was specially created in the 9th century by Costantine or Cyril and his older brother Methodius for the Slavic people to facilitate the introduction of Christianity. The Glagolitic alphabet exhibition is housed in the University Library and is a permanent exhibition with 127 items focused on the importance that this alphabet had in both Croatian and European cultural history.