THALASSOTHERAPY AND HEALTH TOURISM IN CRIKVENICA: ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT

Thalassotherapy and health tourism of Crikvenica date back to the opening of the first public beach in 1888. Favoured by the Archduke Joseph von Hapsburg, Crikvenica soon won over considerable Hungarian capital, invested in hotels and boarding houses. The first hotel was Archduke Joseph, renamed in 1900 to Therapia, followed by hotel Miramar and army resort Militar Kurhaus, which moved to a new Villa Mira in 1897. In 1898, the Archduke's wife Clotilda set up a Ladislaus' Children's Home for paediatric treatment and recovery in St. Paul's monastery. In 1908, Dr Oskar Seidl set up a sanatorium Dr Oskar Seidl's Home. 1913 saw the opening of Villa Ruzica, which was a sanatorium for Croatian teachers. In 1909, Marija Steyskalova established a sanatorium for over 400 Czech children. Shortly before the break of the Great War, another sanatorium (and resort) saw the light of day - Pecic - Odilon. At one point, there were eight sanatoriums/health resorts in function. No wonder then that, in 1906, Crikvenica received the official title "Seaside resort and climate therapy resort" from the nation's government. This recognition boosted the town's progress.