Crikvenica (ˈtsrikvɛnitsa; ) is the largest settlement on the coast of the
VinodolVinodol is a village and municipality in the Nitra District in western central Slovakia, in the Nitra Region.-Geography:The village lies at an altitude of 124 metres and covers an area of 14.982 km²...
coastal area,
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and grew up on an area which was a settlement in the Roman era (a military base) called Ad Turres. Population 7,121 (2001), total municipality population 11,348 with 90%
CroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
(2001). It is situated at the
AdriaticThe Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
coast, near
RijekaRijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, the capital of the
Primorje-Gorski Kotar countyPrimorje-Gorski kotar County is a county in western Croatia that includes the Bay of Kvarner and the surrounding Northern Croatian seacoast, and the mountainous region of Gorski kotar...
in which it resides. In the last twenty years, due to urban expansion of Crikvenica itself, as well as building in the nearby town of Selce, mentioned two merged into one mini-conglomerate.
Towns near Crikvenica include
KraljevicaKraljevica is a town in the Kvarner region of the country of Croatia, located between Rijeka and Crikvenica, approximately thirty kilometers from Opatija and near the entrance to the bridge to the island of Krk...
and
Novi VinodolskiNovi Vinodolski is a town on the Adriatic in Croatia, located south of Crikvenica, Selce and Bribir and north of Senj. The population of Novi is 3,988, with a total of 5,131 people in the municipality ....
.
History
Old Crikvenica is considered to be a village called Kotor, which is located on hill nearby and shares the name with the village.
The town name comes from a church (Croatian:
crkva = church - in dialect
crikva) of the Pauline Fathers monastery, built by
Nikola FrankopanNikola IV Frankopan was the Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia from 1426 to 1432. He was one of the first of his clan to make this name famous in Croatian history. Even before he became Banus, he owned the Island of Krk, the districts of Vinodol, Modruš, Senj, Gacka and Lika in Croatia. His properties...
nearby in 1412. Besides the church and the monastery at the mouth of the Dubračina, the nearby port of Grižane grew up. In 1760 the castellan moved from Bribir to Crikvenica and thus it became the centre of the whole
VinodolVinodol is a village and municipality in the Nitra District in western central Slovakia, in the Nitra Region.-Geography:The village lies at an altitude of 124 metres and covers an area of 14.982 km²...
. In the 19th century Crikvenica became attractive to many tourists, which changed its history. In 1877 a harbour was built in Crikvenica, in 1888 a bathing beach and as early as 1891 the first hotel opened. In 1895 the Hotel Therapia was opened with 120 beds and the Hydrotherapy Institute. In 1902 the Hotel Crikvenica was built, in 1903 the Bellevue and in 1905 the Miramare. In 1906 Crikvenica became officially a health resort. Due to its favourable climate, in the space of just 16 years Crikvenica became the most important resort on the riviera. Today, with Selce, it is one of the most attractive parts of Kvarner coast, and of North Adriatic coast of Croatia in general.
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