April 22, 2022 - The traditional Camellia exhibition has now turned into the Opatija Camellia Festival, celebrating these colorful flowers in April each year. 

Again, these fragrant flowers in the first days of April beautified the already fabulous Opatija. The Association of Camellia Lovers organized the traditional 14th exhibition, which has grown into the Camellia Festival this year.

The J. Šporer Art Pavilion in the heart of Opatija was the scene of this unique event that is being talked about throughout the region. In addition to choosing the most beautiful camellia, a carousel of various events dazzled the city. According to Mira Shalabi, president of the Association, they have been thinking about the festival for the past years, but the coronavirus atmosphere prevented them from doing so.

"Many helped, from the City of Opatija to the Opatija Tourist Board and Kvarner and others. Angiolina Park also looks magnificent, and altogether it has completed the tourist offer," says Shalabi, emphasizing that they currently have about a hundred valuable members. 

Katica Dražić, a camellia expert at Opatija Kindergarten, presented a camellia bush and flower to the children. A workshop on camellia cultivation was held in the Angiolina Park nursery and the topics were agrotechnical measures, transplanting from cuttings, marcotting, protection, and care. Lectures were given by Jan Bernd-Urban, founder of the Association of Camellia Lovers and an expert in the history of camellias and Opatija, and Romana Lekić, advisor to the Dean for Tourism at Edward Bernays Zagreb in Villa Antonio, presented the symbol of love camellia and magic of Angiolina Park.

The musical performances at the opening featured Olga Šober, national champion of opera and maestro Nada Matošević Orešković with the aria "E strano" from the opera La Traviata, guitarist Natko Štiglić, the choir of the elementary school R.K. Jeret and young accordionist Dorian Rubesha.

"On Saturday, a guided walk through Angiolina Park was organized, a visit to the exhibitions in the Sporer pavilion, voting for the most beautiful camellia flower, and a presentation and tasting of green tea "Camellia sinensis" in the nearby town of Veprinac. The Zora ensemble delighted the audience with their dances, and Vivien Galletta, Goranka, and Marin Tuhtan from HNK Rijeka sang several popular arias," added Shalabi, thanking many members of FIJET, the Association of Tourist Journalists and writers in tourism on arrival.

The most beautiful camellias were awarded to Boško Lukić, Nada Grizilo, and Vesna Komadina.

All photos by Slobodan Kadic

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November 27, 2021 - Autumn Rhapsody of Camellias is a new offseason event to celebrate the popular pink Opatija flowers.

The Association of Camellia Lovers from Opatija does not stop. They started the event "Autumn Rhapsody of Camellias" and organized a lecture by Dr. sc. Romana Lekić, Head of the Tourism Department of the Zagreb Bernays College of Communication Management. Opatija presented the topic: Parks as a dream come true - the magic of Angiolina Park and camellias, and the beautiful accordionist Dorian Rubeša played a beautiful melody.

Slobodan Kadic

"Opatija abounds in park architecture with preserved historical ambiance and historicist features. In addition to Angiolina Park and the magical power of the camellia plant, other historical gardens of our villas and parks stand out," said Lekić and introduced the project to interpret and reinterpret the park through the economy of experience and methods and techniques of animation and storytelling.

Slobodan Kadic

The association has launched an initiative to create the conditions for Angiolina Park to "develop" towards the Historical Park of Excellence. The goal is to involve those interested in "The European Network of Historic Gardens" (REJHIS), consisting of 28 historic gardens and parks.

Slobodan Kadic

"They have eight million visitors a year, which is solid proof that they contribute to developing tourism of special interest, and the local population can enjoy them," explained Mira Shalabi, president of the Association of Camellia Lovers from Opatija.

After the lecture, all those present gathered with blooming camellias in the Park where the "Little Camellias" of the Opatija Elementary School Rikard Katalinić Jeretov performed. The plan was to listen to a choir that prepared two commemorative songs and a recitation, after which ten little painters were to draw and paint the blooming camellias. While the rain stopped them from drawing, the choir left everyone breathless.

Slobodan Kadic

"It is at this time of year that blooming camellias with their supernatural colors disperse the gray of late autumn and paint them pink, so then the whole world is pink for us. We hope that our manifestation Autumn Rhapsody of Camellias will continue next year and become an interesting and new tourist product," concluded Shalabi.

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