Rijeka (/riˈɛkə, riˈeɪkə/ ree-EK-ə, ree-AY-kə, US also /riˈjɛkə/ ree-YEK-ə,[3][4]

Croatian: [rijěːka] ⓘ; local Chakavian: Reka or Rika;[5] Slovene: Reka), also known
as Fiume (Italian: [ˈfjuːme] ⓘ; Fiuman: Fiume; Hungarian: Fiume; outdated German
name: Sankt Veit am Flaum), is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in
Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on
Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and in 2021 had a population of 108,622
inhabitants.[6] Historically, because of its strategic position and its excellent
deep-water port, the city was fiercely contested, especially between the Holy Roman
Empire, Italy and Croatia, changing rulers and demographics many times over
centuries. According to the 2011 census data, the majority 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. The
city's economy largely depends on shipbuilding (shipyards "3. Maj" and "Viktor
Lenac Shipyard") and maritime transport. Rijeka hosts the Croatian National Theatre
Ivan pl. Zajc, first built in 1765, as well as the University of Rijeka, founded in
1973 but with roots dating back to 1632 and the local Jesuit School of Theology.[7]

Apart from Croatian and Italian, linguistically the city is home to its own unique
dialect of the Venetian language, Fiuman, with an estimated 20,000 speakers among
the autochthonous Italians, Croats and other minorities. Historically Fiuman served
as the main lingua franca among the many ethnicities inhabiting the multi-ethnic
port city. In certain suburbs of the modern extended municipality the autochthonous
population still speaks Chakavian, a dialect of Croatian.

In 2016, Rijeka was selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2020, alongside
Galway, Ireland.[8]

Name
Historically, Rijeka was called Tharsatica, Vitopolis (lit. 'City of [Saint]
Vitus'), or Flumen (lit. 'River') in Latin. The city is called Rijeka in Croatian,
Reka in Slovene, and Reka or Rika in the local dialects of the Chakavian language.
It is called Fiume in Italian and in Fiuman Venetian. All these names mean 'river'
in their respective languages.[9][10] Meanwhile, in German the city has been called
Sankt Veit am Flaum/Pflaum (lit. 'St. Vitus on the Flaum/Pflaum', with the name of
the river being derived from Latin flumen).

Geography

Rijeka Bay
Rijeka is located in western Croatia, 131 kilometres (81 miles) 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 (485 km [301 mi]),
Budapest (502 km [312 mi]), Munich (516 km [321 mi]), Vienna (516 km [321 mi]) and
Belgrade (550 km [340 mi]). Other major regional centers such as Trieste (76 km [47
mi]), Venice (240 km [150 mi]) and Ljubljana (115 km [71 mi]) 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 fifty metres or 160 feet) 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 1,396-metre (4,580 ft) Učka range is
prominent. To the north/north-east there are the Snežnik plateau and the 1,528 m
(5,013 ft) Risnjak massif with the national park. To the east/south-east there is
the 1,533-metre (5,030 ft) 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 fifty kilometres or 31 miles) 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
Main articles: History of Rijeka and Timeline of Rijeka
Timeline of Rijeka
Historical affiliations
Kingdom of Croatia, pre–1466
Holy Roman Empire (Habsburg monarchy), 1466–1809
First French Empire, 1809–1814
Austrian Empire, 1814–1867
Austria-Hungary ( Transleithania), 1867–1918
Italian Regency of Carnaro, 1919–1920
Free State of Fiume, 1920–1924
Kingdom of Italy, 1924–1943
OZAK, 1943–1945
Yugoslavia ( SR Croatia), 1945–1991
Croatia, 1991–present

Ancient and Medieval times

The Roman arch (Rimski luk), the oldest architectural monument in Rijeka and an
entrance to the old town

Trsat Castle lies at the exact spot of an ancient Illyrian and Roman fortress.
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).
[11] 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).[12] 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 is part of the Liburnia limes (system of walls and fortifications against
raiding Barbarians). Remains of these walls are still visible in some places today.

The Baroque city clock tower above the arched gateway linking the Korzo to the
inner city, designed by Filbert Bazarig in 1876

Main street Korzo

After the 4th century Rijeka was rededicated to St. 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.[13] Croats settled the
city starting in the 7th century giving it the Croatian name, Rika svetoga Vida
("the river of Saint Vitus"). 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. Trsat Castle and the town was 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.

In the period 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 in it was sold by Rambert II Walsee to the Habsburg emperor
Frederick III, Archduke of Austria in 1466. It 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 when it was occupied by Croatian and
subsequently by Italian irregulars.[13]

Under Habsburg rule

Rijeka and Trsat

River Rječina in city center

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 with great loss of life in 1508 and again in 1509. The city did
however recover and remain 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.
[14] 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.[15]

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. From 1804, Rijeka was part of the Austrian
Empire (Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia after the Compromise of 1867), in the Croatia-
Slavonia province.[16]

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.[17] 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. She became a
folk hero Karolina Riječka (Caroline of Rijeka) and has been celebrated in plays,
movies and even in a rock opera.[18]

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 Austro-Hungarian Naval Academy
(K.u.K. Marine-Akademie), where the Austro-Hungarian Navy trained its officers.

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.[19]

Giovanni de Ciotta (mayor from 1872 to 1896) proved to be an authoritative local

political leader. Under his leadership, an impressive phase of expansion of the
city started, marked by major port development, fuelled by the general expansion of
international trade and the city's connection (1873) to the Austro-Hungarian
railway network. Modern industrial and commercial enterprises such as the Royal
Hungarian Sea Navigation Company "Adria", a rival shipping company the Ungaro-
Croata (established in 1891) and the Smith and Meynier paper mill (which operated
the first steam engine in south-east Europe), situated in the Rječina canyon,
producing cigarette paper sold around the world.

The second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century (up to
World War I) was a period of great prosperity, rapid economic growth and
technological dynamism for Rijeka. Many authors and witnesses describe Rijeka of
this time as a rich, tolerant, well-to-do town which offered a good standard of
living, with endless possibilities for making one's fortune. The Pontifical
Delegate Celso Costantini noted in his diary "the religious indifference and apathy
of the town". The further industrial development of the city included the first
industrial scale oil refinery in Europe in 1882[20] and the first torpedo factory
in the world in 1866, after Robert Whitehead, manager of the "Stabilimento Tecnico
Fiumano" (an Austrian engineering company engaged in providing engines for the
Austro-Hungarian Navy), designed and successfully tested the world's first torpedo.
In addition to the Whitehead torpedo factory, which opened in 1874, the oil
refinery (1882) and the paper mill, many other industrial and commercial
enterprises were established or expanded in these years. These include a rice
husking and starch factory (one of the largest in the world), a wood and furniture
company, a wheat elevator and mill, the Ganz-Danubius shipbuilding industries, a
cocoa and chocolate factory, a brick factory, a tobacco factory (the largest in the
Monarchy), a cognac distillery, a pasta factory, the Ossoinack barrel and chest
factory, a large tannery, five foundries and many others.[21] At the beginning of
the 20th century more than half of the industrial capacity in Croatia (which was at
that time mostly agrarian) was located in Rijeka.[22]

Rijeka's Austro-Hungarian Marine Academy became a pioneering centre for high-speed

photography. The Austrian physicist Peter Salcher working in the Academy took the
first photograph of a bullet flying at supersonic speed in 1886, devising a
technique that was later used by Ernst Mach in his studies of supersonic motion.
[23]