Location: Adriatic Sea Map
Area: 8 sq km (3 sq mi)
Get here: Boat from Fazana or Rovinj
Tel. (052) 525 883
(052) 525 882
Brijuni National Park is an archipelago in the Adriatic Sea just off Istria' west coast. It is composed of 14 islands, but most of them are off limits for the public. Most popular and largest island is Veliki Brijun or Great Brijun. You can get here from Fazana or Rovinj on a boat that takes about 15- 25 minutes.
There are remains from all eras – starting from the
dinosaurs that left their mark in several places of the island. They
were theropods, similar to the allosaurus. The islands were already
inhabited in prehistoric times. Archaeological traces indicate a first
settlement around 3000 BC. The ruins in the Val Catena Bay / Uvala
Verige date back to Roman times. The largest villa maritima of the
Adriatic Sea spreads over a length of more than a kilometer, which was
built in about the time of Claudian from two probably late Republican
villae rusticae. A large terraced residential building, a small temple
district with three temples, a priest's apartment with boragang,
cisterns, a bathing complex (balnea) as well as an economic tract with
wine or oil production and a dyeing factory. In Augustan times, there
are seven villae rusticae as well as a saltworks and several quarries on
the entire archipelago. The Byzantine castrum was also built from a
villa rustica and from about the 5th century served as the only
fortified settlement on the island to protect against sea robbers.
Nearby is the early Christian Basilica of St. Madonna and the remains of
the church of St. Peter. In the center of the island there is a
Venetian-era castle with a defensive tower and the St. Germanus Church
with copies of the frescoes by Beram and Glagolitic writings. Until
1797, the Venetian islands became part of the Austrian littoral. In
1866, Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff assembled the Austrian fleet in the
Fažana Canal and from there led it to the naval Battle of Lissa (now
Vis).
In 1893, the Austrian industrialist Paul Kupelwieser bought
the islands and made them habitable. The reason for the
"uninhabitability" was the disease malaria. Kupelwieser read in a
newspaper that Robert Koch wanted to do research on malaria in Italy and
offered him the island for experiments. Koch was very interested, at
first he sent two doctors, and soon after he came himself. Blood was
taken from all residents and workers on the island, which was first
examined with a rapid test and then sent to Berlin. The carrier of
malaria was the numerous Anopheles mosquito. The eradication of malaria
was carried out through several actions, namely the consistent
examination of all persons on the island (especially workers, some of
whom came from the Capodistria penitentiary, and of course the
residents), the treatment of all infected with Quininum muriaticum, the
examination of all cisterns and rain barrels and the rehabilitation of
the ponds with petroleum. This prevented the reproduction and thus
favored the reduction or migration of the mosquito. The treatment
concept for the sick was thoroughly organized, in the cold season the
disease could be cured and the mosquitoes then found no more sick
people, the bites could no longer infect anyone. Even today, a monument
commemorates Robert Koch's visit to the island (by Josef Engelhart in
1902).
Kupelwieser laid out walking paths and protected
"Boraplatzln" in the old quarries, engaged in agriculture and dairy
farming ("Imperial cheese") and viticulture. Alois Zuffar was
responsible for the botanical equipment, his pine and cypress avenues
still delight the visitor today. Anton Gnirs made a great contribution
to the excavation of the Roman remains. Kupelwieser imported exotic
plants and animals, built hotels, had a submarine water pipe built,
relied on state-of-the-art technology and turned the island (Hermann
Bahr 1908: "I was always looking for an island and always found only
islands until I came to Brioni...") into a fashionable health resort.
the first winter swimming pool on the Austrian Adriatic was built in
1913. In the period before the First World War, they were a meeting
place for the nobility, industrialists and the upper middle class, and
numerous artists also visited the island. Tennis, horses, swimming and
sailing sports, a natural aromatherapy, the salty, dust-free air
provided a good rest. Many regulars stayed for several months every
year. With the help of Carl Hagenbeck, he created an animal garden with
monkey gorges, an ostrich breeding, enclosures with antelopes and a pond
with flamingos. During the First World War, the island was a submarine
base of the k.u.k Kriegsmarine.
From 1918 to 1943, Brioni
belonged to Italy and became an international meeting place for sports
enthusiasts: there was the largest golf course in Europe at that time,
polo events and regattas were held there. The elaborate keeping of polo
horses for any interested guests then led, together with high taxes, to
financial difficulties, as a result of which Paul Kupelwieser's eldest
son Karl shot himself in 1930. Things continued to go downhill until the
Italian state took over the heavily indebted island. After the surrender
of Italy in 1943, the Germans came. Therefore, the islands were bombed
in 1945 – the seaside resort of Saluga and the observation tower made of
Witkowice iron on Monte Carmen were destroyed, almost all buildings in
the port area were severely damaged, the hotels Neptun I and also Neptun
III. After the Second World War, the islands came to Yugoslavia and,
like most of Istria, became part of Croatia.
From 1947 onwards,
the Yugoslav head of state and party Tito had one of his preferred
residences here, the entire archipelago was thus forbidden to the
ordinary population. The remains of the old buildings were partly
demolished, partly rebuilt and renovated. Tito gladly and often received
state guests and numerous Hollywood stars at Brijuni. in 1956, the then
President Tito also signed the agreement on the establishment of the
non-aligned Countries together with Presidents Nehru and Nasser on the
island, which is thus referred to as the Brioni Declaration. After
Tito's death in 1980, the islands became a national park. The island of
Veli Brijun continues to be used by the Croatian government for state
receptions and as the summer residence of the Croatian president.
On Veli Brijun, the 10-day war in Slovenia with Belgrade was ended
with the Brioni Declaration in 1991.
Since 1985, the main island can again be visited by
tourists. The starting point is the port of Fažana. Short visitors can
expect a guided four-hour tour of the island with an electric train
(also through the safari park) and a visit to the St. Germanus Church
with copies of the frescoes by Beram, a museum with stuffed animals that
were given to Tito and a Tito Museum, which now also houses a room in
memory of Kupelwieser and Koch, in addition to the presentation of the
numerous international visitors to the island. Depending on the time,
breaks are provided in the Byzantine Castrum or in the Roman Bay. Hotel
guests can enjoy the sunrises and sunsets, observe the diverse nature,
for example, the numerous peacocks and seagulls.
in 2015, the old
boathouse in the harbor, an interesting building by Eduard Kramer, a
student of Otto Wagner, which was the home and practice of the spa
doctor Otto Lenz from 1906 to 1938, was renovated and the Educational
Center was set up. Topics include the history of the island, the Lenz
family, famous visitors, fauna and flora, the sea and environmental
protection. There is a video show about all 14 islands of the
archipelago.
For many years, efforts have been underway to turn
the islands into an exclusive refuge by means of foreign investors
(especially the Italian fashion house Brioni). After starting to play
polo and hold horse races again years ago, it is planned to build an
8000 square meter "wellness center", casino, golf hotel as well as
restaurants and 5-star hotels. These plans are criticized by
environmentalists and the island's regulars, among others. In the
meantime, the Brioni company has withdrawn, as the status of National
Park and National Memorial stood in the way of all changes. This seems
to be changing now that Croatia has joined the EU. If you really just
wanted to set up a "Brioni Riviera" on the mainland and spare Brijuni,
then at the beginning of 2014 it was said that comprehensive work should
begin on the island as early as August. The minister in charge announced
that "something that has never happened before" was coming. In the
meantime, it has been carefully renovated.
There are about 680 plant species on the islands, many of which are endangered in the rest of Istria and which can develop freely here. The large oak forests are well known. In addition to various native Mediterranean species such as holly, myrtle, strawberry trees, mastic shrubs, manna ash or broom heather, imported species such as pines, various pines and cedars such as Lebanon cedars, eucalypts, firs, sequoias or cypresses also live here. Exotic plants such as palm trees and cacti are also generously planted. A special attraction is the so-called. ancient olive tree (♁44° 54' 52" N, 13° 46' 4" O). Using the C-14 method, it was determined that this one is around 1600 years old.
Over 250 species of birds, such as rare cormorants,
can be found here. A bird sanctuary has been established in a saline.
Hares and imported deer, roe deer and European mouflons can be found on
the island as well as wild mammals. The island is populated by countless
peacocks, lizards, owls, seagulls and cicadas.
One of the biggest
attractions of the islands is the safari park in the north of Veli
Brijun; since 1979 elephants, llamas, zebras, Nilgau antelopes, Somali
sheep, sacred Indian cows, donkeys and ostriches have been presented
here.
Since the death of the elephant Sony in the spring of 2010,
his conspecific Lanka has been alone. There is also an ethno-park where
a typical Istrian farm with Istrian oxen (Boškarin), Istrian sheep
(Pramenka), donkeys and goats is presented.