Rich in diverse vegetation, the park occupies the entire island of St. Catherine off the western coast of Istria and surrounds extensive hotel buildings, much of which were built and transformed after World War II. At their core is the former residence of the Polish eccentric, political publicist, famous collector and patron of painting, Count Ignacy Karol Korwin-Milewski (1846-1926). The aristocrat travelled extensively, including cruising on a yacht purchased from Archduke Karl Stefan Habsburg of Żywiec. In 1905, he also purchased from him the island of St Catherine in the Adriatic Sea, which the prince had owned for only seven years. The two aristocrats shared many common interests, including in the arts. In Zywiec, Tadeusz Stryjeński, who was once also seen as the author of the construction or reconstruction of a palace in Istria, worked for the prince. Traditionally, however, the building already commissioned by Milewski is linked to another Krakow architect, Teodor Talowski.

"A furious risk-taker", as his brother Hipolit called him, thanks to his talents he managed the estate effectively and skilfully multiplied his own income. His fortune provided him with financial freedom and a life of high quality. He lived his 80 years in a lavish, uncompromising and lavish manner. He housed his extensive painting collection on the island, now partly preserved in the National Museum in Warsaw. It contained paintings by, among others, Aleksander Gierymski ("The Feast of Trumpets"), Jan Matejko ("Stańczyk"), Józef Chełmoński ("Indian Summer"), Anna Bilińska or Jacek Malczewski, as well as an exceptional collection of 16 self-portraits by painters associated with the so-called Munich School, which was commissioned by the Count.

The celebration of the 170th birthday and 90th death of Count Ignatius Korwin-Milewski in 2016 provided an opportunity to organise a seminar in Rovinj and on the island of Saint Catherine dedicated to the Count. Milewski's tombstone in the Rovinj cemetery was restored and a commemorative plaque was erected on the island on the wall of his former residence (designed by Marek Moderau).