The Brijuni islands have an almost mythical status in Croatian tourism history, having been purchased by Austrian iron and steel magnate Paul Kupelwieser in 1894 and transformed into a combination of landscaped park and upmarket resort. Kupelwieser engaged Nobel-winning bacteriologist Robert Koch to rid the islands of malaria, then teamed up with German zoo pioneer Carl Hagenbeck to establish a wildlife park.

Ill-fated Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the most emblematic of the resort’s regular visitors, meeting his friend Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany here in March 1912.

Brijuni continued to be an elite resort, popular with golfers and polo players, when under Italian occupation in the 1920s and 30s. The islands were nationalized by Yugoslavia’s communists after 1945, with President Tito building a holiday cottage on the island of Vanga while top-ranking government officials stayed in Veli Brijun’s hotels. Tito spent months on the island every year, conducting government business and hosting foreign leaders. He expanded the wildlife park, and was frequently presented with animals by foreign heads of state. After Tito’s death the islands were declared a national park, and tourism took over from politics.

Exploring Brijuni