Straight ahead, look for a pale yellow church with tall arched windows and, just next to it, a sturdy stone bell tower famously leaning a bit to the side-it’s hard to miss the slanted “Crooked Tower” greeting you as part of the scene!
You’re standing at the spot where centuries of Rijeka’s story come together in a single square! The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary used to look quite different-in fact, its very first walls were built back when Romans were relaxing in steam baths on this same spot. Fast forward to the Middle Ages, and voilà: the church rises again from ancient ruins, its nave stretching taller thanks to a clever Zadar craftsman named Juraj in 1442. This church has seen trouble too-it took a beating when Venice’s armies stormed through in 1509 but, like Rijeka itself, bounced right back. The 1700s brought drama and elegance, with the powerful Orlando family building a grand new sanctuary (and their family tomb right in the middle, no less). Just imagine: beneath your feet, 75 graves lie under stone slabs now built into the church’s outside wall-each engraved with tales of local townsfolk.
Inside, art lovers get a treat: the main altar is a masterpiece from Ljubljana, dotted with statues by a Padua sculptor, and surrounded by side chapels bursting with colorful marble and dazzling baroque decorations. In the 1930s, walls were painted with swirling motifs inspired by earlier decorations, filling the air with light and color. Outside, you can spot a real oddity: that bell tower has been leaning nearly half a meter since 1920! Locals call it the “Crooked Tower”-so don’t worry, you’re not seeing things. And look for a window shaped like a rose, crafted all the way back in 1516, now set in a 19th-century facade designed by the city’s own star architect. History, legends, and a little bit of architectural mischief-all in one place. Welcome to the heart of Rijeka!
