Rijeka (lit. River) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and in 2021 had a population of 107,964 inhabitants. Historically, because of its strategic position and its excellent deep-water port, the city was fiercely contested, especially between the Holy Roman Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Kingdom of Italy, the Habsburg Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, and Yugoslavia, changing rulers and demographics many times over centuries. According to the 2021 census data, 85% of its citizens are Croats, along with small numbers of Serbs, Bosniaks and Italians.
Rijeka is the main city and county seat of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Historically shaped by various ruling powers—including the Habsburg Monarchy, Hungary, Italy (while being Free State of Fiume), and Yugoslavia—Rijeka has developed a diverse cultural heritage reflected in its architecture, language, and traditions. The city is known for its major port facilities, shipbuilding industry, and vibrant cultural scene, including the internationally recognized Rijeka Carnival. The city's economy largely depends on shipbuilding (shipyards 3. Maj and Viktor Lenac Shipyard) and maritime transport (Jadrolinija). The city is home to the University of Rijeka and several important cultural institutions, including theaters, museums, and galleries. Its architectural landscape reflects a mix of Austro-Hungarian, Italian, and modern influences, with notable landmarks such as Trsat Castle, Rijeka Cathedral, Ivan Zajc Croatian National Theatre, Palace Modello, City Clock Tower, Trsat, Petar Kružić staircase and many others.
In 2016, Rijeka was selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2020, alongside Galway, Ireland, and Rijeka is known for other manifestations and sporting events such as: Kvarnerska Rivijera, Rijeka Open, Yugoslavian motorcycle Grand Prix, EuroBasket 1975, 2000 European Men's Handball Championship, 2003 World Women's Handball Championship, 2008 European Short Course Swimming Championships, 2016 European Universities Games and 2018 LEN Men's Europa Cup.
Name Historically, Rijeka was called Tharsatica, Vitopolis (), or Flumen () in Latin. The city is called in Croatian, in Slovene, and or in the local dialects of Chakavian. It is called Fiume in Italian, Fiuman Venetian, and Hungarian (meaning 'river' in the former two). Meanwhile, in German the city has been called / (, with the name of the river being derived from Latin ).
Today, the name Fiume is not used for official purposes for legal reasons. Beginning in 2018 there was an attempt on the initiative of the city's Italian community to install a number of signs, including a route confirmation sign, featuring both names on the west entrance to the city among other places, but as of 2021 no such signs have been installed due to technical difficulties.
Geography
Rijeka is located in western Croatia, south-west of the capital, Zagreb, on the coast of Kvarner Gulf, in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea. Geographically, Rijeka is roughly equidistant from Milan (), Budapest (), Munich (), Vienna () and Belgrade (). Other major regional centers such as Trieste (), Venice () and Ljubljana () are all relatively close and easily accessible. The Bay of Rijeka, which is bordered by Vela Vrata (between Istria and the island of Cres), Srednja Vrata (between Cres and Krk Island) and Mala Vrata (between Krk and the mainland) is connected to the Kvarner Gulf and is deep enough (about ) to accommodate large commercial ships.
The City of Rijeka lies at the mouth of the river Rječina and in the Vinodol micro-region of the Croatian coast. From three sides Rijeka is surrounded by mountains. To the west, the Učka range is prominent. To the north/north-east are the Snežnik plateau and the Risnjak massif with its national park. To the east/south-east is the Velika Kapela range. This type of terrain configuration prevented Rijeka from developing further inland (to the north) and the city mostly lies on a long and relatively narrow strip along the coast. Two important inland transport routes start in Rijeka. The first route runs north-east to the Pannonian Basin. This route takes advantage of Rijeka's location close to the point where the Dinaric Alps are the narrowest (about ) and easiest to traverse, making it the optimal route from the Hungarian plain to the sea. It also makes Rijeka the natural harbour for the Pannonian Basin (especially Hungary). The other route runs north-west across the Postojna Gate connecting Rijeka with Slovenia and further through the Ljubljana Gap with Austria and beyond. A third more coastal route runs east-west connecting Rijeka (and, by extension, the Adriatic coastal cities to the south) with Trieste and northern Italy.
History
Neolithic through late antiquity Though traces of Neolithic settlements can be found in the region, the earliest modern settlements on the site were Celtic Tharsatica (modern Trsat, now part of Rijeka) on the hill, and the tribe of mariners, the Liburni, in the natural harbour below. The city long retained its dual character. Rijeka was first mentioned in the 1st century AD by Pliny the Elder as Tarsatica in his Natural History (iii.140). Rijeka (Tarsatica) is again mentioned around AD 150 by the Greek geographer and astronomer Ptolemy in his Geography when describing the "Location of Illyria or Liburnia, and of Dalmatia" (Fifth Map of Europe).
In the time of Augustus, the Romans rebuilt Tarsatica as a municipium Flumen (MacMullen 2000), situated on the right bank of the small river Rječina (whose name means "the big river"). It became a city within the Roman Province of Dalmatia until the 6th century. In this period the city was part of the Liburnia limes (system of walls and fortifications against raiding Barbarians). Remains of these walls are still visible in some places today.
After the 4th century Rijeka was rededicated to Saint Vitus, the city's patron saint, as Terra Fluminis sancti Sancti Viti or in German Sankt Veit am Pflaum. From the 5th century onwards, the town was ruled successively by the Ostrogoths, the Byzantines, the Lombards, and the Avars. The city was burned down in 452 by the troops of Attila the Hun as part of their Aquileia campaign.
Middle Ages: Kingdom of Croatia - Kingdom of Hungary Croats settled the city starting in the 7th century. At the time, Rijeka was a feudal stronghold surrounded by a wall. At the center of the city, its highest point, was a fortress.
In 799 Rijeka was attacked by the Frankish troops of Charlemagne. Their Siege of Trsat was at first repulsed, during which the Frankish commander Duke Eric of Friuli was killed. However, the Frankish forces finally occupied and devastated the castle, while the Duchy of Croatia passed under the overlordship of the Carolingian Empire.
From about 925, the town was part of the Kingdom of Croatia, from 1102 in personal union with Hungary following the Hungarian conquest of Croatia. Trsat Castle and the town were rebuilt under the rule of the House of Frankopan. In 1288 the Rijeka citizens signed the Law codex of Vinodol, one of the oldest codes of law in Europe.
From about 1300 to 1466 Rijeka was ruled by a number of noble families, the most prominent of which was the German Walsee family. Rijeka even rivalled Venice when it was sold by Vitus Butinarius to the Habsburg emperor Frederick III, Archduke of Austria in 1466.
Under Habsburg and Hungarian rule The city would remain under Austrian Habsburg rule for over 450 years (except for a brief period of French rule between 1809 and 1813) until the end of World War I in 1918.
Austrian presence on the Adriatic Sea was seen as a threat by the Republic of Venice and during the War of the League of Cambrai, the Venetians raided and devastated the city resulting in a large number of deaths in 1508 and again in 1509. However, the city recovered and remained under Austrian rule. For its fierce resistance to the Venetians it received the title of the "most loyal city" ("fidelissimum oppidium") as well as commercial privileges from the Austrian emperor Maximilian I in 1515. While Ottoman forces attacked the town several times, they never occupied it. From the 16th century onwards, Rijeka's present Renaissance and Baroque style started to take shape. Emperor Charles VI declared the Port of Rijeka a free port (together with the Port of Trieste) in 1719 and had the trade route to Vienna expanded in 1725.
On November 28, 1750 Rijeka was hit by a large earthquake. The devastation was so widespread that the city had to be almost completely rebuilt. In 1753, the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa approved the funding for rebuilding Rijeka as a "new city" ("Civitas nova"). The rebuilt Rijeka was significantly different - it was transformed from a small medieval walled town into a larger commercial and maritime city centered around its port.
By order of Maria Theresa in 1779, the city was annexed to the Kingdom of Hungary and governed as corpus separatum directly from Budapest by an appointed governor, as Hungary's only international port. This returned the city to the jurisdiction of the Hungarian Crown after this was lost during the Ottoman invasions of Hungary in the 15th century. From 1804, Rijeka was part of the Austrian Empire (Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia after the Compromise of 1867), in the Croatia-Slavonia province.Handbook of Austria and Lombardy-Venetia Cancellations on the Postage Stamp Issues 1850–1864, by Edwin Mueller, 1961.
During the Napoleonic Wars, Rijeka was briefly captured by the French Empire and included in the Illyrian Provinces. During the French rule, between 1809 and 1813, the critically important Louisiana road was completed (named after Napoleon's wife Marie Louise). The road was the shortest route from Rijeka to the interior (Karlovac) and gave a strong impulse to the development of Rijeka's port. In 1813 the French rule came to an end when Rijeka was first bombarded by the Royal Navy and later re-captured by the Austrians under the command of the Irish general Laval Nugent von Westmeath.Antoljak, Stjepan. "Prekosavska Hrvatska i pitanje njene reinkorporacije (1813 - 1822)", in Stjepan Antoljak, Stjepan. 1994. Hrvati u povijesti, Split, Književni krug, 1992. (in Croatian) The British bombardment has an interesting side story. The city was apparently saved from annihilation by a young lady named Karolina Belinić who - amid the chaos and destruction of the bombardment - went to the English fleet commander and convinced him that further bombardment of the city was unnecessary (the small French garrison was quickly defeated and left the city). The legend of Karolina is warmly remembered by the population even today. Karolina Riječka (Caroline of Rijeka) became a folk hero and has been celebrated in plays, movies and even in a rock opera.
In the early 19th century, the most prominent economical and cultural leader of the city was Andrija Ljudevit Adamić.
Fiume also had a significant naval base, and in the mid-19th century it became the site of the Imperial and Royal Naval Academy (K.u.K. Marine-Akademie), where the Austro-Hungarian Navy trained its officer cadets.
Hungarian Crown During the Hungarian revolution of 1848, when Hungary tried to gain independence from Austria, Rijeka was captured by the Croatian troops (loyal to Austria) commanded by Ban Josip Jelačić. The city was then annexed directly to Croatia, although it did keep a degree of autonomy.