Lošinj (; ; , earlier ''Osero''; ; ; ) is a
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n island in the northern
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
, in the
Kvarner Gulf. It is almost due south of the city of
Rijeka
Rijeka (;
Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
and part of the
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Primorje – Gorski Kotar County (, ) is a Counties of Croatia, county in western Croatia, most of it based in the historical and cultural region called Croatia proper and some of it in Istria, including the Bay of Kvarner, the surrounding Northe ...
. The settlements on Lošinj include
Nerezine,
Sveti Jakov,
Ćunski,
Artatore,
Mali Lošinj
Mali Lošinj is a town in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, on the island of Lošinj, in western Croatia. At the time of the 2021 census, there were 7,537 inhabitants, of whom 86% were Croats. The town of Mali Lošinj itself had an urban populat ...
and
Veli Lošinj
Veli Lošinj () is a village on the island of Lošinj in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. Veli Lošinj has a mild climate and caters to tourists. It is located 5 km to the southeast of the town of Mali Lošinj, of which it i ...
. A regional road runs the length of the island; ferry connections (via the island of
Cres
Cres is an Adriatic island in Croatia. It is one of the northern islands in the Kvarner Gulf and can be reached via ferry from Rijeka, Krk island or from the Istrian peninsula (line Brestova-Porozina).
With an area of ,
Cres has the same si ...
) include
Brestova -
Porozina,
Merag -
Valbiska, Mali Lošinj -
Zadar
Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...
and Mali Lošinj -
Pula
Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, wi ...
.
Lošinj Airport is on the island.
Geography
Lošinj is part of the Cres-Lošinj archipelago. The Cres-Lošinj archipelago includes the two major islands Cres and Lošinj, some minor islands
Unije,
Ilovik,
Susak,
Vele Srakane,
Male Srakane and a number of uninhabited small islets and outcrops. Cres is the largest by area, followed by Lošinj.
Cres
Cres is an Adriatic island in Croatia. It is one of the northern islands in the Kvarner Gulf and can be reached via ferry from Rijeka, Krk island or from the Istrian peninsula (line Brestova-Porozina).
With an area of ,
Cres has the same si ...
and Lošinj are connected by a small bridge at the town of
Osor on Cres. The highest elevations are the mountains Televrin (also called Osoršćica) at and Sv. Nikola (also called Sv. Mikul) at . The towns of Nerezine and Sveti Jakov lie at their base. The island bedrock is formed predominantly of chalk
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
and
dolomite rocks. There are sand deposits in the western part of the Kurila peninsula.
Lošinj is the 11th largest Adriatic island by area, long, with the width varying from in the north and middle of the island, to near the town of Mali Lošinj. The total coastline of the island is .
[
]
Climate
The island has a mild climate and
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
vegetation (like
myrtle,
holm oak, and
laurel). Veli Lošinj,
Čikat and the south-west facing shores are ringed by
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae.
''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...
forests, while the highest elevations in the north of the island have more sparse vegetation.
Around 2600 sunshine hours a year make the island a popular tourist destination in the summer months, especially for nearby
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
n,
German and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
visitors. On average
humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
is 70% and temperatures average in the summer and during the winter.
Winds
As with other locations on the Adriatic, Losinj is prone to a variety of
Winds
Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
. The
Bura is a north-easterly wind that brings low temperatures and dry air masses from the continent, sometimes the gusts are strong enough to turn over heavy vehicles. The
Jugo is a southerly wind that originates in the
Sahara
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
, however, over the relatively long fetch over the warm waters of the Mediterranean it becomes moisture-laden, and typically brings much cloud and stormy weather. Traditionally, it is reputed to cause headaches, melancholy and even bouts of madness in the inhabitants of the coastal areas, especially Dalmatians.
Important Bird Area
The island forms part of the Kvarner Islands
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA), designated as such by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
because it supports significant numbers of many bird species, including breeding populations of several
birds of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
.
History

Settlement on nearby Cres is known to date back around 12,000 years, and the island of Lošinj is also thought to have been inhabited since prehistoric times. This is evidenced by hill-forts at the foot of Osoršćica and around the port of Mali Lošinj. According to
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
, the
Romans called this island ''Apsorrus'' (, and referred to the islands of Lošinj and
Cres
Cres is an Adriatic island in Croatia. It is one of the northern islands in the Kvarner Gulf and can be reached via ferry from Rijeka, Krk island or from the Istrian peninsula (line Brestova-Porozina).
With an area of ,
Cres has the same si ...
collectively as ''
Apsirtides''. In several places, ruins of Roman villas have been excavated (
villae rusticae: Liski, Sveti Jakov, and Studenčić near
Ćunski). Several small
eremitic
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
churches dating from the Roman era have been preserved (St. Lovreć near Osor, and St. James in Sveti Jakov).In the Middle Ages, Lošinj was the property of the clerical and secular nobility of Osor and unpopulated.
The first evidence of settlers from the mainland was in 1280. Pursuant to a contract with
Osor, their settlements gained self-governance in 1389. The name Lošinj was first mentioned in 1384. Parallel with the gradual decline of Osor from the 15th century onwards, the settlements Veli Lošinj and Mali Lošinj played an increasingly important role.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, trade, shipbuilding and seafaring on the island developed more intensely. In 1771,
Alberto Fortis
Alberto Fortis (9 or 11 November 1741 – 21 October 1803) was an Italian writer, naturalist and cartographer, citizen of Republic of Venice.
Life
His real name was Giovanni Battista Fortis (his religious name was ''Alberto'') and he was born i ...
visited Cres and Lošinj (which was then called Osero) and wrote a travelogue about his visit: ''Saggio d'osservazioni sopra l'isola di Cherso ed Osero.'' After the fall of the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
in 1797, Lošinj became part of the
Austrian province (
crown land
Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...
) of Istria under the
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The trea ...
. By 1900 the population had reached 11,615. In 1921, it was given as 15,000.
Tourism appeared on Lošinj for the first time in 1885 with the appearance of
health tourism. The first
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
in Lošinj, Vindobona, was built in 1887.
In 1919, Lošinj, with its partially Italian population, became part of
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
under the terms of the
Treaty of Saint-Germain, as confirmed by the 1920
Treaty of Rapallo. It was part of Italy until 1943 when it was occupied by
German Wehrmacht and
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n troops during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as part of the
Operational Zone Adriatic Coast
The Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral (, OZAK; or colloquially: ''Operationszone Adria''; ; ; ) was a Nazi German district on the northern Adriatic coast created during World War II in 1943. It was formed out of territories that were pre ...
. In 1947 the island and the rest of Croatia became part of
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
, until
Croatia declared independence from the Yugoslav Federation in 1991.
The post-Second World War period saw a substantial exodus (see
Istrian–Dalmatian exodus for further details) of its
Italian-speaking population to Italy and to other countries. According to the last census the number of Italian-speaking citizens in Lošinj were 557 (6.64% of the total official resident population). Before the independence of Croatia from the Yugoslav Federation, the official censuses reported the Italian-speaking minority being much smaller (figures quoted in the official census conducted in 1981 shows that the Italian minority accounted only for 1.5% of the resident population).
Expatriates in Italy and around the world publish a newsletter which keeps their memories and traditions alive.
On the Island Italian is popular as a second language.
Due to its temperate climate, and non-withstanding the occasional episode of high winds, Losinj started becoming a tourist destination of international renown. Powerful Russian oligarchs and consortia have invested in properties on the Island.
People and art
*
Agostino Straulino (b. 10 October 1914 in Mali Lošinj; d. 14 December 2004 in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
) was an Italian
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...
and sailboat racer, who won one Olympic gold medal at the
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland.
After Japan declared in ...
(Helsinki) and one silver medal at the
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...
(Melbourne) in the
Star class, and eight consecutive European championships (1949–56) and two world championships (1952–53) in this class and was world champion in the 5.5m-class. His first experiences were sailing in the
Kvarner Gulf, and he learned to sail going to school in his boat.

*
Gaudentius of Ossero: Born c. 1000 AD and presided over the
Diocese of Ossero (Osor) as bishop and later became a saint and patron of the island. Legend has it that he banished all venomous snakes from the islands while hiding in a cave from his persecutors. His remains now lie in the altar of the church bearing his name in Osor.
* The
Cosulich family of shipbuilders originated in Lošinj probably prior to the 18th century and rose to prominence in the region, eventually establishing a successful shipping business in Venice and around the world, where the
Cosulich Line became renowned.
*
Croatian Apoxyomenos: (the "Scraper") is a bronze statue that dates back to the 1st or 2nd century BC. This type of figure was first developed by the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
Lysippos of the 4th century BC. It was discovered underwater in the Lošinj archipelago near the uninhabited island of Vele Orjule. The Lošinj Channel was a frequent navigational route leading to the northern part of the Adriatic, to Istria and Italy. It is believed to be from a Roman shipwreck although there are no other apparent remnants.
Apoxyomenos is one of the Greek conventions in representing an athlete, caught in the familiar act of scraping sweat and dust from his body with the small curved instrument that the Greeks called a
strigil. The statue now resides in the Lošinj museum in the Mali Lošinj harbour.
References
Bibliography
Biology
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Losinj
Islands of Croatia
Islands of the Adriatic Sea
Important Bird Areas of Croatia
Important Bird Areas of Adriatic islands
Landforms of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County