Maritime and History Museum, Rijeka, Croatia

One of Rijeka’s important landmarks is the Maritime and Historical Museum which is located in one of the most beautiful buildings from 19th century Rijeka. A former palace, it was originally designed and built as the residence for king’s emissaries and governors. Today it is a Museum which collects, keeps, handles and presents artefacts connected to the history and culture of the Primorsko-goranska County and the city of Rijeka, starting with the first settlers in pre-historical times through to the 20th century. Divided into categories, the museum’s collection contains the Archaeological Department with pre-historical, Greek, Roman, medieval and numismatic collections. For those fascinated by aquatic forms of transport, the History of Maritime Department consists of historical reconstructions of ships, ship equipment, nautical instruments, maps, pictures and prints as well as material from the Ethnographical, Cultural and Historical Departments.

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User Reviews

Anamarija Bezjak (5 months ago)
Beautiful palace and museum, well worth visiting.

Erik Šepić (8 months ago)
Very creative and provides an interesting perspective on the city’s history.

Prizma Design (13 months ago)
It was something else. Great place to go and spent a day with kids. Lots of excellent exhibits that are well organised. We enjoyed it and will come back since it was a bit crowded, because of the museum night. If you have the chance go...you won't regret it.

x y (13 months ago)
Actually two museums set up in a old historical building. Original house name was a House of governor (even today local people call it like that). They have some permanent exhibition (like history of rijeka, vessels from rijeka, Croatian war for independence exhibit, and also some occasional. Anyhow this museum is a must to better understand dynamic city history

milivoj popovic (2 years ago)
They have some really great exhibitions, like this one that includes a real Titanic life west! All the exhibition space are designed beautifully and use modern technology in such a nice and well thought out way! Definitely a not to miss place when visiting Rijeka!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Historic Site of the week

Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, while in 961 Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The last of such reforms was carried out by Almanzor in 987. It was connected to the Caliph"s palace by a raised walkway, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for previous Islamic rulers – as well as Christian Kings who built their palaces adjacent to churches. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.

In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile, and the centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela"s captured cathedral bells. Following a windstorm in 1589, the former minaret was further reinforced by encasing it within a new structure.

The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.

Architecture

The building"s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.

In planning the mosque, the architects incorporated a number of Roman columns with choice capitals. Some of the columns were already in the Gothic structure; others were sent from various regions of Iberia as presents from the governors of provinces. Ivory, jasper, porphyry, gold, silver, copper, and brass were used in the decorations. Marvellous mosaics and azulejos were designed. Later, the immense temple embodied all the styles of Morisco architecture into one composition.

The building is most notable for its arcaded hypostyle hall, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple that had occupied the site previously, as well as other Roman buildings, such as the Mérida amphitheatre. The double arches were an innovation, permitting higher ceilings than would otherwise be possible with relatively low columns. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch.

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