Two minors were injured on Saturday evening in the courtyard of an abandoned historic villa whose owner resides in Dubai. Neighbors had warned of the danger for years, and the building also holds a rich history of Rijeka's bourgeoisie.
Two minors who were injured on Saturday evening when a concrete slab collapsed in the courtyard annex of a villa on Rijeka's Pećine are not in life-threatening condition. Nevertheless, they remain hospitalized at the Rijeka University Hospital Center (KBC Rijeka). A swift and decisive intervention by Rijeka firefighters prevented a tragic outcome, and the police are still establishing all the details of the case.
The structure where the accident occurred is located at 44 Šetalište XIII. divizije, right next to the Hotel Jadran. It is a historic villa known by the names Vila Gal and Vila Turković. Land registry records reveal that its current owner is Maxim Igorevich Vassiliev, a resident of Dubai.
For residents of Šetalište XIII. divizije, this event came as no surprise. When a section of the massive concrete slab broke off in the evening hours, taking two minors with it, it only confirmed years of warnings for the neighbors. Although steps were occasionally taken to secure the building, the abandoned villa had long served as a risky gathering spot for young people and a shelter for the homeless.
Elena Pollich, a next-door neighbor to the neglected property, did not hide her frustration. "We've been watching this building decay for years and constantly warning that someone would get hurt!" Pollich told Novi list. Although the courtyard was recently tidied up, branches blocking the passage were removed, and surveillance cameras were installed, entry points were not sealed. The protective fence has been breached, allowing unrestricted access to the courtyard and even up to the roof. The skylight stands open, rainwater is further damaging the interior, and young people still regularly gather there. "Something must finally be done because we don't want someone to lose their life next time," Pollich added.
The historical context of the neglected villa, in whose courtyard a tragedy nearly occurred, was explained to Novi list by art historian Theo de Canziani. "One of the most striking stories from the Pećine cliffs is that of Vila Gal, also known as Vila Turković, a building that still bears witness to the golden age of Rijeka's and Sušak's bourgeoisie," de Canziani emphasized.
"This is not just architecture; it is a monument to an era, a lifestyle, and people who connected Rijeka with the most important European commercial and cultural centers," he added, describing the rich chronology of this lavish residence. Its story begins at the very start of the 20th century. The first owner, Janos Gal, was an extremely wealthy Rijeka merchant dealing in so-called colonial goods. To design his residence on Pećine, he commissioned the esteemed Budapest architect Antal Grioni. Construction began around 1900, and by the 1930s, the villa dominated the skyline of that part of the city.
In 1926, the villa passed into the hands of the noble Turković family, entering a new chapter. They carried out an extensive renovation of the building to suit their needs. At that time, the Turković family was a symbol of economic success and social prestige, known for establishing the Kutjevo Estate in 1882, which they led to the greatest flourishing of viticulture in Slavonia. "Their lineage is deeply connected to the coastal region," de Canziani noted.
Ivan Matija Turković was a long-serving papal consul and mayor of Bakar and Kraljevica during the French administration from 1809 to 1812. His son, Vjenceslav Turković, grew into a leading Croatian entrepreneur, a timber and grain trader, and the owner of a shipyard in Kraljevica. Through the adaptation of the villa on Pećine, Baron Milan Turković turned it into one of the main gathering places for the social elite of the time. The family's influence and the villa's importance are best evidenced by the fact that Baron Milan Turković was the first president of the Sušak Rotary Club. "It was precisely Vila Turković that, during that period, represented a symbol of the intellectual, humanitarian, and economic life of Sušak," de Canziani concluded.
