From the mid-19th century until the early 1950s the site where The Bristol Bol is located today housed the magnificent Venetian baroque palace of the influential Martinis-Marchi family, reflecting their visionary, enlightened character. Not long after the palace was officially inaugurated, in 1868, one particular event indelibly marked the history of this site, and of the island.
In 1875, on April 23rd, Bol and the Martinis-Marchi palace welcomed the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, as part of his grand Dalmatian tour. For more than a month the emperor traveled along the Adriatic coast, aboard the imperial yacht Miramar, accompanied by the steamer Adria. He visited 20 port cities, including Pula, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Makarska, Dubrovnik and concluded the journey in Rijeka. The tour was intended to showcase the emperor’s care for his dominions, spur economic development, secure political loyalty and highlight the rich cultural heritage of the region






