Culture of Losinj Island. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Losiny, like many other islands of the Adriatic, was inhabited far back in Antiquity. The proof of this fact you can find not only in the collections of the local historical museums but also near the cities of Sveti Jakov and Cunski. It is there that you can see the remains of the first settlements that belonged to the Roman Empire. Time and weather conditions left only ruins of the majestic fortifications but the outlines of the buildings can be seen anyway.

The city of Mali Losinj was founded in the 12th century. For a long time, only a few families lived here, who at first engaged in cattle breeding and farming, and later started fishing. Gradually, the city grew and became a major seaport. The news that local air has a beneficial effect on health has saved Mali Losinj from oblivion during the shipping crisis. Most of the buildings here belong to the 18th-19th century but there are several that belong to the earlier times. One of them is the church of St. Martin, towering above the city. It was built in the 15th century. The true monument of architecture is the church of St. Nicholas, a vivid example of the work of the 19th-century architects’ thoughts.

It is in Mali Lošinj where the largest archaeological museum on the island is located. There you can see many findings that tell about the island and its inhabitants from Antiquity to the present. The bronze sculpture of the athlete Apoxiomen, created in Ancient Greece and for unknown reasons lying under water in the water area of ​​Losinj for two centuries, is considered by many to be the pearl of the exposition. Now the statue is completely restored. Near Mali Lošinj you can see the perfectly preserved forks of the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire domination. The admirers of the beauty seek to visit the art gallery, which can be found in the Fritzi palace. It is also worth seeing the Church of The Nativity of the Virgin, which houses the paintings of the artists from Venice and a unique crucifix created by Bartolomeo Ferrari. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Veli Losinj, although somewhat inferior to Mali Losinj in size, also attracts a lot of history fans. There is a lot to see here: the Church of St. Mary, aka Gospe Od Angela, built at the beginning of the 16th century, the city church of St. Antun Opat Pustinjac, built in the 15th century and rebuilt in 18th, the Venetian defensive tower, preserved since 1445. In the halls of the latter, by the way, there is a museum that tells about the history of the city and its suburbia.

For all who are interested in the sea, it is worth visiting the Kula Museum. In addition to a large number of various exhibits related to the sea and seamen, the museum is famous for interesting thematic events and workshops. In the churches of St. Mary and St. Antun Opat Pustinjac, you can see not only the church furniture of past centuries but also the pictures of various Italian artists, among them the works of Bartolomeo Vivarini, Bernardo Strozzi and even Titian.

The oldest city on the island is Osor. It is located very close to the canal, which separates Losinj from Cres. During the reign of Rome, the population of the city was at least 2000 people, now only 70 people live here. The oldest monument to the Roman rule is the canal itself, once dug by the Romans for their own needs. In the city, there is also the 15th -century Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the 15th-century Episcopal Palace. In the latter one you can see the fragments of the facing of the old churches and the Egyptian throne, created from the parts of the ancient Roman tombstones. In the Bay of Bijar, near Osor, there are the ruins of the 13th-century Franciscan monastery. There is also an archaeological museum in the city.