HR EN

Karlobag 1900-1919

From Maritime Flourishing to War Upheaval

Coat of arms of Karlobag
← Gallery

Click a postcard or photograph for a detailed view, or start the presentation.

Presentation

In Karlobag, where the stone gently descends into the sea and the Bura wind from Velebit carries the scent of salt and snow, time is measured slowly. The year was 1900, and Karlobag still breathed under the quiet, old power of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Peace reigned in the town, but life was bustling beneath the surface. The waterfront (riva) was being renovated, brick by brick, stone by stone, to prepare the port for steamboats and the increasing traffic of caravans from Velebit. Steamer traffic flourished, connecting Karlobag with Rijeka and other Adriatic ports, bringing prosperity and fueling the maritime boom of the era. In the old school building, children sat quietly, attempting to master the skills of reading and writing, while the echoes of German and Italian, the official languages of the Monarchy, still lingered in the air.

However, with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, that idyll was radically disrupted. The war dramatically halted port life. Young men were mobilized, steamer traffic ceased, and economic activity dried up. The end of the Monarchy in 1918 brought uncertainty and a new beginning under a different state administration, marking a war upheaval and the end of an era.

These postcards, frozen in time between 1900 and 1919, preserve that very memory of the sea, the stone, and Velebit. They capture scenes of life and work, recognizable views of the fortress and the port, and testify to the permanence of Karlobag before and during great historical changes.

Postcard of Karlobag from 1901 – Velebit mountains and Molinari monument

Postcard sent in 1901.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

Depicts the Velebit mountains and Molinari monument.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1001

Panorama of Karlobag with Velebit in the background, around 1900

Period around 1900.

Displays a panorama of Karlobag with Velebit in the background.

Publisher: T. Devčić & Co. in Senj

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1002

Decorative postcard with a panoramic view of Karlobag and Velebit, around 1915

Period around 1915.

Postage stamp of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Decorative postcard with a panoramic view of Karlobag and the Velebit massif, featuring motifs of the sea and fish and the inscription “Greetings from Karlobag”.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. No. ZTP-KB-1023

Panoramic view of Karlobag and Velebit, postcard from 1909

Postcard sent in 1909.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

Depicts the Velebit mountains and panoramic view of Karlobag.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1003

Historical postcard of Karlobag panorama and Velebit mountain, 1907

Postcard sent in 1907.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

Depicts the Velebit mountains and panoramic view of Karlobag.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1004

Karlobag town panorama and Velebit on a postcard from 1902

Postcard sent in 1902.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

Depicts the Velebit mountains and panoramic view of Karlobag.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1005

Old postcard showing Velebit mountains and a panoramic view of Karlobag, circa 1910

Period around 1910.

Shows the Velebit mountains and a panoramic view of Karlobag.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1006

Vintage panorama of Karlobag beneath the Velebit range, around 1910

Period around 1910.

Shows the Velebit mountains and a panoramic view of Karlobag.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1007

Higher Civic School building and the port of Karlobag, 1910

Postcard sent in 1910.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

Depicts the Higher Civic School (1875) and the port.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1008

Karlobag public school building and the old harbor, 1913

Postcard sent in 1913.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

Depicts the Higher Civic School (1875) and the port.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1009

The port of Karlobag and school building on a postcard by Ivan Rechnitzer, 1914

Postcard sent in 1914.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

Depicts the Higher Civic School (1875) and the port.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1010

Higher Civic Elementary School, harbour and Velebit in Karlobag, around 1915

Period around 1915.

Postage stamp of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

View of the Higher Civic Elementary School, built in 1875, Karlobag harbour and the Velebit massif.

Publisher: Nikola Pavelić, Karlobag.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. No. ZTP-KB-1022

Civil Higher Public School in Karlobag, published by Nikola Pavelić, 1912

The postcard was sent in 1912.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

Shows the Civil Higher Public School (1875).

Publisher: Nikola Pavelić, Karlobag

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1011

The old harbor and civic school in Karlobag, circa 1910

Period around 1910.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

Depicts the Higher Civic School (1875) and the port.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1012

Old harbour and school in Karlobag, c. 1910

Postcard mailed in 1914.

Austro-Hungarian stamp.

Depicts a panoramic view of the Civic Higher Elementary School (built in 1875) and the harbour.

Publisher: Nik Pavelić, Karlobag — Photog. Karl M. Gütler, Sušak.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1019

Town square in Karlobag with people, horses and carts, around 1915

Period around 1915.

Postage stamp of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

A lively scene of everyday life on Karlobag’s town square, with residents, horses and carts among the town houses. Nikola Bačić’s shop can be seen in the background.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. No. ZTP-KB-1021

Old square, Molinari statue, customs house, and town hall in Karlobag, 1917

Postcard sent in 1917.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

View of the old square with Molinari statue, customs house, and town hall.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1013

Church of St. Charles Borromeo and town houses, circa 1910

Period around 1910.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

View of houses and St. Charles Borromeo Church (1710).

Publisher: Nik Pavelić, Karlobag — Photog. Karl M. Gütler, Sušak.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1014

Church of St. Charles Borromeo and town houses, circa 1919.

Circa 1919.

Stamp of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

View of the town houses and the Church of St. Charles Borromeo (built in 1710).

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1020

Black and white postcard of the Church of St. Charles Borromeo, 1907

Postcard sent in 1907.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

View of houses and St. Charles Borromeo Church (1710). Black and white version.

Publisher: Nik Pavelić, Karlobag — "Anitta" Vienna, V.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1015

Colorized postcard of the Church of St. Charles Borromeo in Karlobag, 1911

Postcard sent in 1911.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

View of houses and St. Charles Borromeo Church (1710). Color version.

Publisher: Nik Pavelić, Karlobag.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1016

Panorama of the old part of Karlobag and the Velebit mountain, 1918.

Postcard sent in 1918.

Stamp of the Royal Hungarian Mail (within Austria-Hungary)

Shows the Velebit mountains and a panoramic view of the old part of Karlobag.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1018

Panorama of Karlobag waterfront, town houses and the Church of St Charles Borromeo, around 1915

Period around 1915.

Postage stamp of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Panoramic view from the sea of the Karlobag waterfront, town houses and the Church of St Charles Borromeo, with the Velebit massif in the background.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. No. ZTP-KB-1024

View of the parish house and St. Charles Borromeo Church, 1906

Postcard sent in 1906.

Stamp: Austro-Hungarian

View of houses, St. Charles Borromeo Church (1710), and parish building.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. no. ZTP-KB-1017

Loaded donkey in Karlobag, around 1915

Period around 1915.

Postage stamp of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

A loaded donkey beside a stone house, a characteristic scene of everyday life and transport in Karlobag and the Velebit foothills in the early 20th century.

T. Potočnjak Collection
Inv. No. ZTP-KB-1025

Back to top