Veli Losinj

Destination: Veli Losinj - The island of Losinj

The city of Veli Losinj is situated in a small cove at the southeast side of the island of Losinj, at the foot of the St. Ivan's Hill. With a population of nearly 1,000, it is the third large town on the Cres and Losinj archipelago. It features tall houses, numerous luxurious villas and the tower in the center of the town.

It is interesting to note that the former Veli Losinj or Velo Selo, as it used to be called, was once larger than Mali Losinj, which then outgrew it in size because of the geographic position and development of navigation and seamanship. The names of these two towns today do not reflect their true size.

In the heart of the town, there is a beautiful baroque Church of St. Anthony the Great with a high bell-tower. On the opposite side there is a tower with a crenellation. It was built in 16th century to defend the harbour from invasions by sea. The tower is the motif of the Veli Losinj coat of arms. If you walk through the alleys of Veli Losinj, you will see luxurious villas of former captains and noblemen. In the Veli Losinj park, near the hospital, there are around 200 types of plants. The first inhabited area of Veli Losinj is the land around the chapel of St. Nicholas from 15th century. The fishing atmosphere of Veli Losinj can be felt further away from the centre, in the Rovenska Cove. Around the little harbour, there are houses and restaurants, and not far away there is a big breakwater founded in 1856 by the Grand-Duke Maximilian.