The construction of a railway in the 19th century, which connects Rijeka, Zagreb and Budapest, was the beginning of the industrialization of the city.. In 1918 Rijeka became a ´Free Port´ under international control.. The writer Gabriele D´Annunzio and his followers occupied Rijeka in 1919 and for 16 months became a city-state.. In 1924, Mussolini seized the city before it came to Yugoslavia in 1945..
Today´s Rijeka, with about 300,000 inhabitants, is the third largest city in Croatia and is characterized by industry.. Unfortunately, it does not remind you much of the beauty of the former city..
Only the district Stari Grad was able to save the former flair in modern times.. Under the rule of the Habsburgs Rijeka gained more and more importance..


• The 17th century baroque town tower
• St. Vitus´ Cathedral
• Korzo, the boulevard with beautiful buildings of various styles

   
The Carnival, held since 1982 «interruption during the war», is one of the city´s tourist attractions.. It is visited annually by over 100,000 people and takes place in the period from mid-January to the end of February.. The exact calendar of events is available at the Tourist Office..


~halifax7~, 2013-11-01