Attractions

In 1999, Lošinj became richer as the Croatian Apoxyomenos, an old bronze statue of the ancient Greek athlete, was found. To be more precise, in 1999 the bronze statue was discovered in the sea between the islet of Vela Orjula and the island of Lošinj. It is assumed that it has been at the bottom of the sea since the 1st century AD when it was sacrificed to the gods for the safe continuation of the voyage during a storm, as the ship was in danger of being overturned.

The statue presents an athlete, a young, 192 cm tall sportsman at the moment of cleaning the scraper which he used to scrape oil, dust and sweat from his body. It is assumed that the statue dates from the 2nd or 1st century BC and that that the prototype on the model of which it has been created is much older, dating from the 4th century BC.

The restoration of the statue lasted almost seven years, and its beauty has been admired by numerous art lovers from the Croatian and foreign cities in which it has been exhibited so far. At the end of 2011, the museum located in the Kvarner Palace in Mali Lošinj became the permanent home of Apoxyomenos.

From the eight variations of the prototype found so far, the Lošinj statue is the most complete and best preserved. The creator of the statue is unknown but the appearance of Apoxyomenos indicates that it must have been a great artist.

Look for the brochure "Kvarner's cultural history"