The Croatian coast is prnamented with more than a thousand islands, islets and reefs. The exact number is still uncertain, but most often mentioned is 1246. One of these islands, the most beautiful one, is the island of RAB

KVARNER:
The part of the Croatian coast from Mount Učka almost to the city of Zadar or the island of Pag is called Kvarner. The famous Kvarner Bay grows deep into Central Europe and has had a tradition of shipbuilding since forever, as well as being the home  of maritime tradition in general. It is close to Istria, dawing fruits and wine from it, and with its tradition in tourism, it is one of the most successful tourist regions in Croatia.

THE ISLAND OF RAB
Rab is an island in the southern part of the Kvarner Bay. There are just under 10 000 inhabitants living in its 8 settlements. The island follows the coastal line in a northwest-southeast direction. It is 22 km long and its width varies from 3 to 11 km. Iti s protected by the Kamenjak hill on the northeast side for most part, except for the Lopar Peninsula. This fact is very important for the vegetation and climate of the island. Kamenjak protects the island from the strong winds of bora and so the side facing the direction from which the wind is blowing is completely bare, while the opposite side is completely different – fertile fields and rich forests that give Rab the title of one of the most forested islands in the Adriatic. All settlements, accept Lopar, are therefore located on the west side of the island.The island of sun, sea and beauty has been charming its visitors for centuries.

The town of Rab is located on a peninsula surrounded by Komrčar park and the old town walls. There is a valuble document –  The Chronicle of the Franciscan Monastery of St. Euphemia – revealing that the founder of park Komrčar – Belia – without the knowledge of the city authorities, set out to afforest the city pasture at  some early morning hours in 1890. An argument broke out between him and the city mayor but the mayor withdrew and Bellia continued to work. Soon however, it became clear to everyone what Bellia had done for the city of Rab with his work.

The island of Rab was inhabited in the Paleolithic, Old Stone Age, which is confirmed by archaeological findings on the Lopar Peninsula. From earlier periods of prehistory there are numerous findings all over the island. After that, Rab was inhabited by the first known inhabitants, the Liburnians. They fought with the ancient Greeks, but whether the ancient Greeks founded a colony on Rab or not it is difficult to say. People called  the ruins on the hill of St. Damian above Barbat the“Greek city“, but it turned out to be a Byzantine fortress from the 6th century. Archaeological excavations on the Kaštelina peninsula near Kampor have so far only confirmed the existence of a Roman residential and economic complex, a rustic villa. The third possible location, Punta Zidine, on the Lopar peninsula dates back to prehistoric times, and was used in antiquity, but for now it is not possible to say whether there was a settlement of the ancient Greeks or not. However, the stories that have been going on among the people for centuries should not be ignored. If one has to, it is better to ignore superficial and incomplete research. The Liburnians also gave the island its name, Arb, which meant dark, full of wood. The Romans who came later accepted the name, they changed it only to Arba, and the Croats did not change it much either and called it  Rab.

The town of Rab experienced a special boom in Roman times. In the 10th year BC Rab got the status of a municipality, and in the 2nd or 3rd century the adjective Felix, happy, becoming Felix Arba. This epithet was not easily given, only the most deserving cities received it. In Italy only three, Rome, Ravenna and Aquileia. On the east coast of the Adriatic, Rab was the first, followed by Salona. In Roman times, it was very lively on the Lopar peninsula. This is indicated by the recent discovery of a pottery workshop, and there is no doubt that there will be more discoveries. The city and the island remained happy even after the Romans, so it avoided many wars and destruction. The only evil it could not avoid was the plague epidemic. The town of Rab still remains a small medieval town locked in the city walls on its peninsula. Recognizable by its four bell towers, three Romanesque and one from the 17th century, but in appearance harmonized with these built earlier. The town is rich in cultural and historical sights, so we can say it is an open air museum. Around the island, there are many sights which are certainly worth mentioning like the Franciscan monastery of St. Bernardine from 1445, in the St. Euphemia bay in Kampor. The monastery is better known as St. Euphemia, because of the older church of the same name, next to which it was built. The rich monastery library keeps several valuable and old books, a part of the monastery has been turned into a museum, and there is also a gallery of paintings.
 
 In Supetarska Draga there is the church of St. Peter, constructed by rebuilding an older church, most likely an early Christian one, in the 11th century, when a Benedictine monastery was built next to it. Today, only fragments of the monastery remain, but the church is extremely well preserved and is a rare Romanesque church that has been preserved almost in its original form, without later changes. One of its bells is the oldest one on the east coast of the Adriatic, dating back to 1299.
  The natural sights and beauties of Rab are definitely worth mentioning, too. On the Kalifront peninsula, the most forested part of Rab, there is the Dundo forest, one of the best preserved holm oak forests in the entire Mediterranean. This forest is a botanical reserve of forest vegetation.
 
Komrčar park is a beautiful park at the end of the peninsula where the old town of Rab is located, following the city walls. This park is a work of human's hands, better to say the work of Pravdoje Belia. The town of Rabis located on a peninsula surrounded by Komrčar park and the old town walls. There is a valuble domcument – Chronicle of the Franciscan Monastery of St. Euphemia – revealing that the founder of park Komrčar – Bellia – without the knowledge of the city authorities, set out to afforest the city pasture at  some early morning hours in 1890. An argument broke out between him and the city mayor but the mayor withdrew and Bellia continued to work. Soon, however it became clear to everyone what Bellia had done for the city of Rab with his work.