February 25th, 2022 - The black and white footage shows tourists lounging around on Opatija’s beaches in the 30s

Today in our ‘old footage of the Adriatic’ section, we bring you a short video filmed in Opatija… in 1932!

Second only to Hvar, the Northern Adriatic town is one of the pioneers of organised tourism in Croatia. And while it would certainly be incredible to see what Opatija looked like in the late 19th century when it saw its first guests, footage from the 30s doesn’t come around every day either.

The video is titled 'Abbazia (Opatija): The Istrian riviera takes on its summer look'. At the time of filming, Opatija was part of Italy. 

Watch the holidaymakers splash around on Opatija’s beaches, followed by a special treat: footage of the summer carnival, featuring elaborate allegorical floats and creative costumes.

Video by Istituto Luce Cinecittà.

June the 3rd, 2019 - The Dubrovnik region has certainly felt a tourist boom since Game of Thrones turned the City of Dubrovnik into Kings Landing. But even before the film and TV buffs descended on the Pearl of the Adriatic, the recovery Croatia's southernmost city has experienced since the end of the Homeland War which devastated the city is nothing short of impressive.

Now recognised across the world as Croatia's most famous tourist destination, the Pearl of the Adriatic is visited by countless tourists from all corners of the world. Their visitation isn't limited to the UNESCO protected old city only, however.

With quieter, more residential areas surrounding the city becoming more popular for daytrippers and those who want to swim in the sparkling Adriatic sea with less crowds and noise to deal with.

Smaller areas like Plat, Mlini, Srebreno and Kupari are just some of the places located in Župa dubrovačka (Parish of Dubrovnik), a valley situated between the city itself and the green, picturesque Municipality of Konavle, Croatia's southernmost municipality before the border with Montenegro, which is home to Dubrovnik Airport (named after the tiny Konavle village of Čilipi).

Konavle, just like the rest od Dalmatia, boasts a stunning coastline and some incredible beaches. It is also home to the little town of Cavtat, initially founded in the 6th century BC by the Greeks, and then named Epidauros/Epidaurus. The areas surrounding Cavtat were inhabited by the then Illyrians, who referred to Cavtat as Zaptal.

Still, there were no cameras in the 6th century BC, but there were in the 1930's. Take a look at how Gruž (where the gigantic cruise ships dock upon arriving in Dubrovnik), Cavtat and Mlini once looked before the outbreak of the Second World War, and long before the turn of the century.

This stunning footage immortalises the Dubrovnik area by capturing it in its raw authenticity, allowing us a look into the past, long before the extreme south of Dalmatia became a global tourist hot spot.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more. If it's just Dubrovnik and southern Dalmatia you're interested in, give Total Dubrovnik a follow or check out Dubrovnik in a Page.