Agencies Valamar Quality Centre Groups

Rabac Culture & history

Before we take a chronological look at the development of tourism and facilities that are on offer in Rabac and the surrounding area, we will take a peek at some of its past. It is interesting to take a look back from today’s perspective, and see how famous travel writers and people who came here from other parts of Europe experienced this particular spot on our coastline.
In the 19th century, the remarkable book “The Seaboard of Istria” was published, by the legendary Sir Richard Francis Burton, the British researcher, travel writer and ethnologist. In it, he described the tameness and beauty of Rabac and the surrounding area, which left a great impression on him.
“The Seaboard of Istria”, a books that mentions the ‘peaceful, picturesque bay with very clean air’ is a very interesting and important publication, and was published a year after Burton’s visit to these areas.
We will now offer an historical outline of how tourism developed in Rabac, from the time when Burton wrote about it until the present day.
History

In the 19th century this small picturesque place turned to fishing as its main activity. The people who lived there were existentially focused on the sea – fishermen, boat owners and sailors.

The first summer residences started to be built in Rabac at this time. The most famous was that built by the Prohaska family who were traders from Rijeka and originated from the Czech Republic. Although their summer residence was destroyed during the Second World War, one of the most beautiful parts of Rabac has been named after the Prohaska family.

The first hotel in Rabac opened In June 1889. It was located in the house of the Višković family near today’s atelier Orlando and was called Quarnero. A regular guest to the hotel, which then only had a few rooms and a bar on the ground floor, was the Austrian officer Kaiser, who some time later purchased the Dubrova Estate (in Labin).

When we examine the data about the beginnings of tourism in the Rabac area, it is possible to frequently come across the point that in 1907, the Austro-Hungarian heir-apparent Prince Ferdinand visited Rabac, where lots of curious people waited for him on the water-front.

In 1925 the first big hotel in Rabac was built. It was called Trieste (today Primorje), and it was then that the renting out of accommodation in private houses began.

Ten years after the construction of Hotel Trieste, Hotel Dopolavoro was built, and tourism in Rabac developed in the 30 years that followed.

Due to its natural beauty, Rabac earned the flattering title “the Pearl of Kvarner” in the 1960’s, which is a name that is still used today. It was then, when Rabac started to be a tourist centre, that all the remaining hotels, tourist settlements, apartments and campsites were built.