CENTRAL MARKET (GRADSKA TRŽNICA)

This market is a real historical monument. People come here to do their shopping and to admire this covered market hall which was built according to the plans of the architect Izidor Vauchnig, from 1880. In the first two pavilions, the latest technical advances of the time were used: steel for the foundations, opening large covered arcades, glass for the light entering through large windows. From 1866, the fish market was installed in a solid building, providing an enclosed space for the vendors, who had previously displayed their goods in the open air. In 1914, Carlo Pergoli designed a building near the pier for the storage of fish and in 1916 the main building crowned the whole. His taste for the Viennese Secession can be seen in the work on the capitals, the four fountains and the ornaments on the façade. The reliefs represent fruits and vegetables, and numerous animals from the sea. The bright and harmonious main building houses the stalls of the butchers, pork butchers and cheese makers. Outside, the market gardeners and small local producers shelter under large parasols.

Since then, business customs have changed, but the building has never failed in its commercial and social function. Today, wine or olive oil traders, beekeepers and honey sellers, woodworkers, florists... also take part in this lively hive of activity. A favorite meeting point of the inhabitants, a place not to be missed in the morning in Rijeka.