Mlaka Park, also known as Giardino Pubblico, is one of the oldest and most beautiful parks in Rijeka. It was designed in 1874 by Filibert Bazarig, PhD as indicated be based on the proposals of Rijeka’s mayor at the time, Giovanni Ciotta as a kind of frontier between the city centre and the western suburbs as well as the announcement of the historical centre for those arriving from that direction into the centre.
Originally a spacious park irrigated by natural resources, it was once a favourite popular meeting point, although today it occupies a smaller area due to the construction of buildings that have been constructed around it in its surroundings over time. In spite of its reduced size, this park located close to the train station is still a pleasant place for relaxation and walking. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Parks_and_Promenades/Mlaka_park
The museum has its roots in the Fine Arts Gallery built in 1948. Six years later, in 1954, the 1954 Salon was founded - the Exhibition of Contemporary Sculpture and Painting in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). This was the first group exhibition of the modern fine arts production of the former state. In 1960 it started the Biennale of Young Artists and in 1968 it presented the International Exhibition of Original Drawings. Since 1990 it has been presenting Croatian artists at the European and Mediterranean Biennale of Young Artists. In 1962 the institution changed its name to the Rijeka Modern Gallery and in 2003 to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
The Museum is working on a number of collections. These are collections of works by national artists Božidar Rašica, Romolo Venucci and Slavko Grčko, as well as collections of drawings, graphics, sculptures, posters, paintings, photographs and media art. The exhibition activities take place in Krešimirova Street. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Museums_and_Collections/Museum_of_Modern_and_Contemporary_Art
The Natural History Museum located within the Nikola Host Park was the first regional museum in the Rijeka area, founded in 1876 when Doctor Joseph Roman Lorenz designed its concept in accordance with Vienna’s Naturhistoriches Museum. Initially, the collection was an integral part of the City Museum, but since 1945 it has operated as an independent institution with rich holdings at its current location, within which there were a zoo and an aquarium until the 1960s.
Today, the Museum is oriented towards marine research and has a specialised library in the field of biology, geology and palaeontology. Visitors can enjoy the rich collections and permanent exhibition representing the geological past of the Adriatic, oceanographic research, minerals, marine invertebrates, sharks and rays, the “Aquarium” multimedia centre and reptiles and amphibians from the Rijeka area. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Museums_and_Collections/Natural_History_Museum_Rijeka