Maiden with the Seagull

While walking along Lungomare, you will come across a girl standing on a rock by the sea, extending her hand on which a seagull lands. This is one of Opatija’s most famous symbols—the sculpture “Maiden with the Seagull” by sculptor Zvonko Car. Previously, a statue of Madonna del Mare stood at this location, erected to watch over the soul of Count Arthur Kesselstadt, who disappeared in a spring storm at sea in 1891. Today it is preserved in the Croatian Museum of Tourism in Villa Angiolina, while a gilded version stands in front of St. James’s Church. The Maiden with the Seagull is also oriented toward the open sea—placed as a greeting to visitors arriving in Opatija by sea. She has also earned the nickname “Nymph” because she appears to rise from the waves during rough seas.