Omišalj

Omišalj is located in the north-western part of the island and is the first island town after crossing the Krk Bridge. The historic town centre is situated on a cliff 85 meters high and dominates this part of Kvarner. With the town of Krk, Omišalj is the oldest living town on the island with a tourist tradition more than 100 years old. Around 1000 B.C. the Illyrians lived in Omišalj, then the Romans, and in the 7th century the Croats arrived. In the 11th century Omišalj was an important centre of Glagolism and literacy, and in the 12th century it was referred to as Castri musculi (from the Latin Ad musculi - the place of shells), while in the 15th century the Frankopan family, lords of Krk, built one of their four castles in Omišalj. Because of this Omišalj today rightly bears the title of the town-monument. Cultural and architectural heritage of Omišalj is extremely rich. This fact is confirmed by the remains of a Roman town Fulfinum dated to the 1st century AD, an early Christian basilica Mirine dated to the 5th century, and many other historical monuments. By its "offer" of monuments Omišalj exceeds many of its better known island neighbours, and in some categories it is even unique in Kvarner. Omišalj is particularly abundant in more than a thousand-year-old early medieval reliefs which are numerous in coastal regions of Croatia, and in a small Omišalj there are more of these reliefs preserved than in some European countries!