The elegant, low-lying classical form of the train station is important to Industrial Rijeka not only for its architectural value, but also since its building heralded a boom in trade for the growing port, connecting it with nearby Ljubljana, Karlovac and Zagreb, and Vienna and Budapest in the heart of the mighty empire beyond. Built by Budapest architect Ferenc Pfaff in 1889 and opened in 1891, there is a story (not true) told by the people of Füzesabony in Hungary that the plans for the stations in that city and Rijeka were mixed up, so Rijeka got the better one. Pfaff built 14 stations in the Hungarian lands, and all those which survive today are listed buildings.
