A new mural in the Rijeka underpass connecting the city center and the City Market has brought new energy to the space, a safer passage experience, and another recognizable visual signature of the city. The project was realized jointly in cooperation with the City, the City Tourist Board, and the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County with a clear goal: to improve the quality of public space, strengthen the visual identity, and offer a contemporary, warmly told depiction of city symbols and events. For visitors planning an arrival and looking for practical information on their stay, we recommend viewing accommodation in Rijeka.

From a frequent passage to an urban meeting point

The underpass used daily by residents and guests of Rijeka was for a long time merely a functional communication between two lively poles of the center – Korzo and the City Market. Although a place of passage, this space has always had the potential to become more: an entry visual calling card of the city, a place that suggests the rhythm of everyday life, but also the identity of the community. The new mural reverses that logic: instead of a neutral wall, the passage now offers a powerful story in which the city's symbols, its traditions and events are recognized, as well as the industrial heritage that shaped the port's outlines and the silhouette of the cranes. For anyone coming briefly or planning a longer stay, it is practical to explore the accommodation offer in Rijeka in advance.

Symbols that make the rhythm of the city

The composition of the mural is conceived as a two-part narration. On the first wall, a sort of procession of city motifs unfolds: the bell ringers (Zvončari) as a strong carnival icon, the Trsat Dragon as the mythological guardian of the hill above the city, the Homo si teć runner embodying the sporting spirit of the city streets, the CRO Race cyclist as a reminder of the international stage race that passes through or finishes in Rijeka every autumn, then the Fiumanka sailboat as a sign of love for the sea and wind, and musical artifacts pointing to the avant-garde and alternative scene gathered around Ri Rock. Industrial port cranes, in the background of the composition, are the connective tissue – reminding us of the city as a working port and simultaneously as a cultural testing ground.

On the opposite side of the walls, a view opens towards the Rijeka Bay, with the horizon framed by Učka and the islands of Cres and Krk. Among the ships in the bay, a large boat wearing a mirrored mask is also depicted – the procession from the first wall is reflected in it. This mirror motif creates a play of gazes: the city looks at itself through its own tradition, and the passerby recognizes their own memories and experiences in the image of the city. In that visual dialogue, the fundamental message of the mural is reflected – the carnival identity and city rhythm are not an episode, but a lasting energy pulsating throughout the year.

Artists whose styles complement each other

The authorship of the mural is signed by three recognizable names of the Croatian street art and muralist scene – Vladimir Tomić – Mosk, Tea Jurišić, and Slaven Lunar Kosanović. Each of them brings a specific style and experience, and in the joint composition, these languages overlap into a unique whole.

• Vladimir Tomić – Mosk, a native of Rijeka, has been active on the scene since the late nineties. His work is recognizable by typographic gestures, strong graphic economy, and a sense for urban symbolism. In his hometown, he participated in initiatives that brought street art closer to a wider audience, and his works have been published in international editions and realized in a number of European cities.


• Tea Jurišić has established herself as an illustrator and muralist whose works combine precise drawing, narrative line, and a symbolic, often poetic atmosphere. Her style is easily recognized by the ability to tell complex ideas through a warm, communicative visual language.


• Slaven “Lunar” Kosanović is a pioneer of the domestic graffiti scene with a global footprint – he has painted and exhibited on several continents, and his style is playful, elastic, and energetic. He transfers his long-standing practice of “reading” city surfaces into works that remain memorable even outside the local context.

In this project, their roles are equal and synergistic: typographic accents, figurative scenes, and dynamic linear gesture merge into a rhythmic composition that leads the passerby from entrance to exit, without “dead” spots. Thus, the underpass ceases to be a tunnel and becomes a narrative corridor – a sequence of frames about a city that breathes by the sea, lives street culture, and nurtures events that gather the community.

Why these motifs: carnival, sport, music, and sea

The choice of motifs is not accidental. The Rijeka Carnival is one of the most recognizable Croatian cultural events and holds the title of the city's “fifth season”. The mask parade gathers thousands of participants and visitors every year and symbolizes openness, humor, and collective creativity. The sporting dimension of the city is equally key – the Homo si teć (Rijeka Run) sports and recreation festival turns the center of Rijeka into a car-free zone and celebrates movement as a public experience. On the other hand, the international stage race CRO Race regularly brings finishes or passages through the city, placing Rijeka on the route of world cycling. On the water, the sailing event Fiumanka gathers sailors and the audience – the sailboat on the wall is thus not only a symbol but a reminder of the ritual of gathering in the Rijeka port. The music scene, concentrated also through the association and festival Ri Rock, has strongly influenced the city's identity – the motif of the guitar and sound speaks of the continuity of alternative culture and its role in creating urban sensibility.

The role of industrial heritage and the visual language of the port

Rijeka is historically a city port, and cranes, the slipway, and ship silhouettes are part of the collective view. In the mural, these motifs are used as visual “leitmotifs” – they preserve the rhythm of the composition and create a sense of place. The view of the bay, where Učka, Cres, and Krk are outlined on the horizon, widens the frame beyond the limits of the underpass and reminds the passerby that they are in a city that communicates with the sea without interruption. If you plan to explore the wider surroundings, it is useful to look at accommodation options in Rijeka in advance as a starting point for day trips.

Safety, light, and the psychology of passage

Besides the aesthetic dimension, the mural also brings measurable changes to the experience of the space. Systematically designed colors, the rhythm of figures, and the articulated line of movement create a dynamic but clear visual environment – passage becomes intuitive and less stressful, and illuminated, painted surfaces reduce the perception of the “tunnel” effect. The psychology of color, rhythm, and typographic accents is important in sensitive transit spaces: these are places people want to pass through quickly, and art can make that moment more pleasant, safer, and, ultimately, relevant to identity.

Continuity of local initiatives: from “Rijeka of Murals” to new projects

This project fits into the continuity of city and county programs through which public surfaces are opened to art. Through the years, in the center of Rijeka and surrounding streets, various murals and graffiti interventions have been realized – from thematic walls dedicated to local stories to works by international authors as part of festivals and urban actions. Such a policy of small, but cumulatively strong interventions shows how changes in public space can be visible, yet cost-rational and sustainable in the long term.

Voice of institutions and the role of partner organizations

Representatives of the City Tourist Board emphasize the importance of synergy between tourism and culture: artistic interventions like this contribute not only to decoration but also to the narrative cohesion of the destination – a guest in short transit learns to “read” the city, and a resident gets confirmation of what the city is. The coordination role was taken over by communal departments and city services, while the artists had complete authorial freedom in interpreting key motifs. Precisely this combination of functionality and authentic expression sets the project apart from generic decorative interventions often seen in urban underpasses.

How the visual story is structured

The mural is conceived as a continuous frieze extending on both walls and the ceiling, creating a sort of “wrapper” of the space. The initial sequence introduces industrial and maritime motifs – port cranes, ships, shoreline lines. A series of figurative scenes follows: a bell ringer with a sailboat in hand, the Trsat dragon with a guitar, a runner who “jumps over” a typographic inscription, a cyclist on a road segment alluding to race finishes, a figure who rapturously lifts the city clock as a symbol of time and continuity. The composition is articulated but clearly led: the observer, moving through the space, gets a sequential experience of the image. Finally, the motif of the mirrored mask in the boat “returns” the gaze back and invites a second reading – the story can also be traversed in the opposite direction without loss of meaning.

Typography as a signature

Typographic elements are not merely inscriptions but “sound” accents – initials, short words, and onomatopoeias accompanying the movement of characters. This approach is particularly recognizable in Mosk's style: a letter is treated as a shape, and a word as a rhythmic unit. Combined with Lunar's line and Tea's narrative precision, typography on the wall becomes the “third voice” of the composition – inaudible, yet very much present.

From photography to a living backdrop

The new underpass already functions as a stage: passersby linger, photograph motifs, frame their own poses with the mural in the background, children follow the lines of characters and imitate their movements. Such an “interactive” effect is not accidental – clearly composed figures and visual rhythms are designed to “hold the frame” both in quick passage and slow viewing. In the digital age, where the city's visual identity is often mediated by a screen, such murals become strong carriers of the place's image.

Attention economy and “soft” benefits

Urbanistic interventions in transit spaces are rarely measured by classic economic indicators. However, “soft” benefits – such as prolonged lingering of passersby, positive impression, increased emotional value of the space and its recognizability – concretely contribute to destination branding. When a passage becomes more pleasant and safer, people choose it more often; when they want to photograph it, it begins to live in the digital traces of travelers too. All this, indirectly, feeds the tourist and cultural economy of the city. If you are planning a visit and want to be close to the liveliest points, check out the offer of accommodation in Rijeka near the market and Korzo.

Communal maintenance and future durability

For such interventions to retain quality in the long term, regular maintenance is necessary: control of moisture, lighting, removal of eventual damage, and retouching of colors if needed. Since murals in underpasses are exposed to specific conditions (condensation, traffic of people, possibility of scratches), a layer of protective coating is provided which facilitates cleaning and slows down color degradation. Furthermore, periodic condition checks are planned to maintain the safety and aesthetic legibility of the entire surface.

Community inclusion

Although the mural was executed by established authors, the project relied on communication with the local community from the beginning – through the choice of motifs, consultations on historical and cultural references, and coordination with city services. Thus, a balance was achieved between high artistic execution and broad communicativeness of the work. Citizens recognize the motifs and experience them as part of their own everyday landscape, and guests get a concise “legend of the city” in several carefully composed scenes.

Rijeka as an outdoor “classroom”

In the context of the cultural-tourist offer, the mural in the underpass also functions as an educational medium. Adults and children can learn about city events, sports events, and musical tradition through visual signs, while naturally adopting elements of industrial and maritime heritage. For many visitors, this is the first encounter with the city “on the go” – even before they reach the market pavilion or Korzo, they pass through an open-air gallery that tells a thousand tiny stories.

The underpass as a prototype for future interventions

The experience gained in painting and programming this space can serve as a prototype for other city points: underpasses, passages, retaining walls, and larger surfaces along pedestrian corridors. The key lies in a clear narrative, coherent authorial cooperation, and technical execution that withstands city conditions. In this way, Rijeka continues to abolish the old division between “high” and “street” art: what until recently did not enter formal gallery spaces today legitimately builds the city's identity.

Topography of motifs: from Trsat to the bay

The visual motifs on the mural are not arranged randomly; they follow the inner geography of the city. The Trsat Dragon is linked to the hill and castle; bell ringers evoke the wider Kvarner circle of customs; the sailboat and boat belong to the port and bay; cranes and ships carry the industrial code, and musical signs open city clubs and streets in the evening rhythm. Through such a “map”, the passage becomes a cipher, and the cipher opens to one who reads the city slowly. For those who want to walk that map for longer than one day, it is a good idea to book accommodation in Rijeka near key route points.

Photography and digital trace

In the time of social networks, such interventions multiply the city's reach. Photos of the mural with location tags, short descriptions, and hashtags become “small guides” directing other visitors to central points. The city thus gains organic promotion – without aggressive branding, but through authentic user practice. For editors and content creators, these are also very usable motifs in creating reports, guides, and thematic articles, as well as in multimedia formats.

Fusion of art, communal practice, and identity

The most important effect of the project is its interdisciplinary meaning: art does not take place parallel to infrastructure but has organically grown with it; communal practice and cultural production are no longer separate worlds. The underpass is now safer, more readable, and more attractive, but at the same time deeper “Rijeka” – inscribed with signs belonging to the city and its people. Precisely such a type of intervention builds the experience of place in the long term, leaving a trace in the everyday life of residents and in the memory of visitors who will wish to return. And for a pleasant return or longer stay, it is worth exploring the accommodation possibilities in Rijeka in advance.