Abacia, or modern Opatija, was a popular destination for visitors from Poland. People used to come here for treatment, sometimes even for many years, if they could afford it, more often for a few weeks. People travelled here not only for treatment, but above all for relaxation. Besides, Abacia was fashionable, and a stay in the resort could be boasted of in company - as Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński wrote in his famous epigram about Mrs Stefania, who "travelled to Abacia to find a topic of conversation".

Until the restoration of independence, the majority of visitors came from Galicia, but advertisements in the "Kurier Warszawski" or "Kurier Wileński", placed sporadically but nevertheless, prove that attempts were also made to attract customers from further regions. After the war, by the way, Abacy became fashionable throughout the Second Polish Republic. Druskininkai, Zaleszczyki, Truskawiec, Zakopane, Krynica, Vorochta, Szczawnica were all popular spas and resorts in Poland, but none of them provided relaxation by the sea. Here, the top places are in free Poland: Jurata, Jastrzębia Góra and Orłowo. Among the slightly cheaper ones were: Jastarnia, Karwia, Jasne Wybrzeże, Hellorowo or Kuźnica. The resorts located in the area of the Free City of Gdansk were also not far away - the famous Sopot or the popular Jelitkowo were also visited by Poles. By part of the population, resting in these places was considered unpatriotic, and besides, it was expensive. In this perspective, Istria appears as a quite rational competition, especially since a relatively good accessibility remained after the Austro-Hungarian times. The relatively large number of newcomers from Poland meant that the way was open for the opening of businesses aimed at Polish newcomers. Polish boarding houses were undoubtedly such, and since medical treatment was also being sought in Abacia, Poles also offered medical services. These included Dr Henryk Ebers junior, who ran a spa in Krynica, or Ksawery Górski - the founder of a sanatorium in Szczawnica, or another medical celebrity of the time - Dr Bolesław Kostecki, in Lovran in the villa "Ausonia" Dr Marian Herlineger received treatment.

As late as the end of the 19th century, access at Abacia was still relatively convenient. As reported by the "Kurier Warszawski", as early as 1896, the sale of direct tickets was planned, among others. On the route Abazia - St Petersburg , Moscow, Riga and Warsaw. From Lviv or Krakow, the journey took a similar length of time as to the Black Sea or the Baltic Sea. From Lviv to Odesa (as the crow flies), it's about 500 km, to the Baltic Sea about 600 km, and if you go to the popular Palanga, it's even further. To Croatia, on the other hand, the distances change even further in favour of Croatia. On top of that, it was possible to stop over in the partitioned but nevertheless fashionable Vienna. And from there it was already possible to travel to Abacia in one night. Such a journey was described by "Rev. M-i" in the pages of the "Kurier Warszawski" of 1906: "Having left at night amidst lightning and a great downpour from Vienna Sudbahnen, at 8 o'clock with minutes I stood in fine weather about 9 o'clock in the morning at the last station where the train to Matuglie goes to Abacha. Here one takes a two-horse carriage (I have not seen any others) which, after a good half-hour's ride and a bad one, for 5 crowns takes the traveller to the place where he wishes to stand. I was recommended Irena, or Ayram (Marya) in Cracow, where they supposedly speak Polish, but since my coachman did not know about them, I stood in front of Augusta". The villas mentioned were probably not Polish guesthouses, but only employed a person who knew Polish. Further on, one can read that "As the village lies by the sea; so every hour ships leave to Piume (Rjeki), to Lovrano and to various other destinations and usually full of greedy travellers".

Polish boarding houses called rather modestly villas, and in fact more resembled town palaces, often with facades overloaded with decoration. According to Bolesław Kostecki, at the beginning of the twentieth century there were two Polish guesthouses in Opatija - villa 'Ayram' managed by Dr Henryk Ebers junior, founder of the spa in Krynica, and villa 'Irena'. In the following years, among others, the spacious "Mascagni" guest house, which has been preserved to this day, was built in Opatija, run by Mrs Grassi. In 1910, the Villa "Heim" functioned as the Polish boarding house of Wanda Marchlewska (Orłowicz reports in 1914 that it was run together with Mrs Grużewska). Marchlewska, however, advertised in the "Kurier Warszawski" of 1910 independently. On the other hand, we know from an advertisement in the 'Kurier Wileński' of 1913 that Wanda Marchlewska also ran a boarding house in Karlbad (Germany). However, from 1914 onwards, she only advertises the Polish House in Germany, so perhaps in 1914 she gave up running the boarding house in Abazja. In addition - as mentioned by Mieczysław Orłowicz - there was the villa 'Peppina' run by Ms Polaska, and also the villa 'Regina'. Poles also stayed in other places such as "Kronprinzessin Stefania". On the other hand, in Lovran, there was a "first-class Polish guesthouse Central run by Sidonia Romańczuk-Gadomska, which was supposed to have a Polish character and, above all, Polish cuisine".

Unfortunately, the history of these guesthouses is poorly known, no photos from the era have survived (except in Lovran), we don't know how they functioned on a daily basis, and we don't even know about some of them, where exactly they were located. This information is what we are looking for - if any of our readers have it - please contact us .