Fiume's Shadow — Uncover the Legionnaire Conspiracy

Your quest begins at Trg Riječke rezolucije, a square created in 1921 to commemorate the resolution of October 30, 1918. It was here, in the heart of Rijeka's historic district, that the Croatian National Council of Fiume proclaimed the city's union with Yugoslavia. This 5,000 m² square, close to the port, was a silent witness to post-World War I tensions between Italian-speaking and Croatian communities, especially during Gabriele D'Annunzio's occupation between 1919 and 1920, laying the groundwork for an identity conflict that would mark the city's history. Your first enigma awaits you here, linked to the echoes of that resolution.

The path then leads you to Centralna tržnica Rijeka, the central market, built between 1880 and 1882 by architects Emilio Babić and Antonio Bassi in a historicist style with Neo-Renaissance elements. This 120 m long building, which once housed fish and fresh produce markets for 200 merchants, was also a place for popular gatherings and the dissemination of ideas during the Fiuman period from 1919 to 1924. The walls of this market absorbed the rumors and hopes of Rijeka's inhabitants, serving as a sounding board for the political movements of the time, and it is in this turmoil that you will find your next clue.

Nearby, the Hrvatsko narodno kazalište Ivana pl. Zajca, the Croatian National Theater, opened in 1885 and designed by Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner, offers a capacity of 800 seats. This theater served as a stage for Croatian language performances even during the Italian occupation of Fiume from 1924 to 1947, maintaining a cultural center in the face of forced Italianization. Named after composer Ivan Zajc (1832-1914), a key figure in the Croatian cultural revival in Rijeka, it represents the persistence of Croatian identity. Your investigations will lead you to decipher a message hidden in the architecture of this emblematic monument of European cultural heritage.

Your journey continues to Crkva Gospe Lurdske, the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, erected between 1903 and 1905 in a Neo-Gothic style, with its 42 m bell tower dominating Korzo. Built by the Italian-speaking community of Fiume under the Austro-Hungarian Empire and dedicated to the Virgin during the cholera epidemic of 1904, this church was a place of intense pilgrimages during the troubles of the Regency of Carnaro between 1919 and 1920. Its stained glass windows and sculptures bear the traces of these fervent prayers, and you will have to look for symbols there that will help you advance in your investigation into the legionnaires' conspiracy.

Finally, your investigation will lead you to Molo Longo, the historic pier extended in 1872, 400 m long. This strategic point of the port of Fiume was where D'Annunzio's legionary ships docked on September 12, 1919, marking the beginning of the occupation. This remnant of Habsburg port infrastructure, directly connecting to the Trg Riječke rezolucije district, offers you a view of the historic Kvarner port and the city of Rijeka. It is here, facing the Adriatic, that you will assemble the last pieces of the puzzle, understanding the extent of the Regency of Carnaro and the fate of the characters who shaped the history of Fiume 1919-1924, an interactive and immersive visit to the heritage of the European Capital of Culture 2020.