Named after the Moravian Jesuit G. J. Kámel (Lat: Camellius; 1661-1706), the refined Japanese evergreen shrub known as camellia found its habitat in Opatija, thousands of kilometres away, more than 180 years ago. It has become a kind of symbol of Opatija’s tourism, and its beautiful flowers herald the arrival of spring every winter.
Take a glimpse into the story of a plant that has, quietly and steadfastly, written one of the most beautiful horticultural chapters of Opatija’s heritage, and we also present items from the museum’s holdings dedicated to this flower.
Adolph Terscheck (1782-1869), a court gardener in the service of several kings of Saxony, was a very talented follower of the great Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné (1707-1778), who left humanity with the task of introducing binary nomenclature to the plant and animal world, thereby ending the previous chaos in the names of the world of flora and fauna. In 1801, as a young gardener’s apprentice, Terscheck transplanted a camellia sapling, which was then extremely expensive and therefore very precious, from a greenhouse into an open park. His risky venture, probably undertaken with the king’s approval, was worthy of great respect, because this camellia still attracts the attention of thousands of delighted tourists in the royal garden in Pillnitz (now an integral part of the city of Dresden). Almost 250 years old, it is said to be the oldest camellia in Europe, and is also a unique specimen that remains in the open air for much of the year, and with its 35,000 flowers, is an extraordinary attraction. The park of the royal palace of Pillnitz, with all its botanical gems, can be visited by tourists for free, although to visit the greenhouse with the famous camellias, you have to set aside 8 euros.
Amongst other duties, the court gardener Terscheck was tasked with rooting cuttings of this unique camellia in order to provide the king with a sufficient number of shoots to present to his relatives and those who had served the kingdom well.
In 1845, Guglielmo Sartorio (1789-1871), a grain and timber merchant from Trieste, also experienced the privilege of receiving this royal expression of friendship and gratitude. Sartorio represented the interests of the Kingdom of Saxony in his capacity as commercial consul in Trieste for almost four decades. He brought a camellia seedling to Opatija and gave it to Iginio Scarpa, his brother-in-law. Iginio Scarpa was the husband of Angiolina Sartorio (1801-1832), in whose memory he named his Opatija villa Angiolina. Since 2007, Villa Angiolina has been the centre of the Croatian Museum of Tourism. In the large park around the villa, he planted a camellia from Pillnitz because Angiolina was a great admirer of this beautiful flower. Angiolina Sartorio was a child of the Biedermeier period, which was an era unthinkable without flowers in a wide variety of forms. Ultimately, Villa Angiolina and its grounds stand as one of the finest architectural and horticultural examples of the Biedermeier style.
When writing about Opatija’s camellias, it is essential to mention Anton Poščić (1897-1972), the mayor of Opatija, who paid for his local patriotism with a thirteen-month stay on Goli Otok for resisting the plan to move Opatija’s camellias to the Brijuni Islands. Likewise, in any text about Opatija’s camellias, it is necessary to mention Elida Jonke-Braut Debeuc (1926-2008), an employee of the former Tourist Association of the Municipality of Opatija, thanks to whose heartfelt efforts the camellia was declared the symbol of the town.
Jan Bernd Urban
