The Franz Josef I Promenade, Opatija’s coastal road, was built at the beginning of the 19th century, and along its entire length grow several species of oak, the oldest inhabitants of Liburnia. Here you can admire some of the most beautiful specimens of these centuries-old trees, such as the downy oak, the zera oak and the cork oak. It is very rare to find so many oak species near the sea. The oak in front of you is a subspecies of the holm oak (Quercus ilex). It is an integral part of the natural and cultural heritage of this region, blending perfectly with the architecture of the area and thus protecting nature and man.
Oaks belong to the beech family and have separate male and female flowers on the same tree. Depending on the quality of the site, the holm oak grows 10 to 20 metres high and can live up to 1000 years. It is an evergreen tree with ovate and elongated, dark green leaves that have a long boot The fruit is an acorn and the wood itself is extremely hard and durable and was used in the local shipyard to build ships.
FUN FACT: The oak is a medicinal plant and a drink made from crushed leaves and acorns was used as an astringent and was widely used to disinfect wounds.
