Czech entrepreneur Emil Geistlich was born on October 13, 1870 in Prague, where he worked as the director of the "Politika" printing house.
His unbreakable connection with Baška began in 1909, when he and his wife and daughter came for a summer vacation as one of the first tourists in general, because tourism in that place only began in 1908 thanks to the efforts of the local "Swimming Association". In that 1909, only two Czech families arrived in Baška, and in 1909 there were 38 Czech guests, including the family of Emil Geistlich, who, as an enterprising man, quickly saw the potential hidden in Baška.
The following year, 1910, the "Swimming Cooperative Croatian-Czech Sea and Climatic Spa Baška" was founded, which began the rise of this tourist destination, especially among Czech tourists.
Emil Geistlich himself became involved in the active development of tourism in Baška and had the "Baška" hotel built in 1911 with 32 rooms and 80 beds. His hotel was located right on the beach and was built as a single-storey building from which one could "go straight from room to sea", as the advertising slogan went. Geistlich even started publishing the magazine "Baška" in Prague, and he even advertised the place in his lectures. The number of tourists in Baška grew from year to year, until 1914, when the tourist season ended early due to the war. Tourists began to return again in 1921 after the end of the Italian occupation army.
Unfortunately, Emil Geistlich died of pneumonia the following year, on July 7, 1922, and was buried in the local cemetery in Baška.
In addition to Emil Geistlich, another doctor who contributed to tourism in Baška was Zdeňka Čermáková, who came at Geistlich's invitation to provide medical care to Czech tourists. Zdeňka Čermáková remained in Baška until her death in 1968. and is also buried in the local cemetery in Baška. A clinic in Baška is named after her, while a monument was built to Emil Geistlich, a true pioneer of tourism in Baška, and streets in Baška are named after them.
The memory of this famous Czech and lover of Baška has been preserved to this day, and thanks to his efforts, Baška has become one of the most famous Croatian summer resorts, popular with both foreign and domestic tourists.
