Crikvenica

Crikvenica is the largest settlement on the coast of the Vinodol coastal area, Croatia, 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% Croats (2001). It is situated at the Adriatic coast, near Rijeka, the capital of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county 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. 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 Frankopan 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 Vinodol.

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.