Korčula ( it, Curzola) is a town on the east coast of the

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

Korčula Korčula (, it, Curzola) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after ...

, in Croatia, in the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...

Population

The City of Korčula has a total population of 5,634, in the following individual settlements: *

Čara Čara is a village on the island of Korčula in Croatia. Korčula the island, is part of the Dalmatian coast and it belongs to the Dubrovnik-Neretva county. It has a population of 566 residents. The village is situated twenty-five kilometers west ...

, population 616 * Korčula, population 2,856 *

Pupnat Pupnat is a village on the island of Korčula in Croatia on the Dalmatian coast within the Dubrovnik-Neretva county. The village is situated 12 kilometres west of the old town of Korčula, 8 kilometres west of Žrnovo and 13 kilometres east of ...

, population 391 *

Račišće Račišće () is a village on the island of Korčula, part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva county in Croatia. Geography Korčula is an island in the southern half of Dalmatia, Račišće being located at the northern side of the island. The village is ...

, population 432 *

Žrnovo Žrnovo is a village on the island of Korčula in Croatia. Korčula is an island on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea and administratively belongs to the Dubrovnik–Neretva County of Croatia. It has a population of 1,308 residents. The vil ...

population 1,368

Construction

The old city is surrounded by walls, and the streets are arranged in a herringbone pattern allowing free circulation of air but protecting against strong winds. Korčula is tightly built on a promontory that guards the narrow sound between the island and the mainland. Building outside the walls was forbidden until the 18th century, and the wooden drawbridge was only replaced in 1863. All of Korčula's narrow streets are stepped with the notable exception of the street running alongside the southeastern wall. The street is called the ''Street of Thoughts'' as one did not have to worry about the steps.

Historic sites

The town's historic sites include the central Romanesque-

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Cathedral of St Mark (built from 1301 to 1806), the 15th-century

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

monastery with a Venetian Gothic

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

, the civic council chambers, the palace of the former

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

governors, grand 15th- and 16th-century palaces of the local merchant nobles, and the massive city fortifications. Cursola, as it was called in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

, became an episcopal see in the early 14th century, when the bishop of

Ston Ston () is a settlement and a municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. History Because of its geopolitical and strategic position, Ston has had a rich history since ant ...

(Stagnum in Latin) asked to be authorized to transfer his seat there because of Serb pressure on Ston. This was granted and he was made bishop also of a new diocese of Cursola united with his previous one. In 1541, the Ragusans asked for the separation of ecclesiastical jurisdiction over Ston, which they had conquered, from Cursola, which in the previous century had become a Venetian possession. In 1828, when both the Korčula and Ragusa (Dubrovnik) belonged to the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

, the territory of the diocese of Cursola was made part of that of

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranea ...

. No longer a residential bishopric, Cursola is today listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

as a

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

Culture

The devout

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

inhabitants of Korčula keep alive old folk church ceremonies and a weapon dance, the

Moreška Moreška is a traditional sword dance from the town of Korčula, on the Croatian island of the same name in the Adriatic. Dating back hundreds of years, the Moreška is an elaborate production involving two groups of dancers, engaging in a mock b ...

, which dates back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Originally danced only on special occasions, in modern times there are performances twice a week for tourists. The city's Town Statute dating back to 1214 prohibited

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

Gallery

File:CHURCH AND MONASTERY OF SAINT NIKOLA, KORCULA, CROATIA.jpg, Church of Saint Nicholas File:La vecchia guardia.jpg, Town walls at dawn File:Korčula iz Orebića5090116.jpg, View of the town File:Moreška in Korčula.jpg, Moreška File:Au fond Korčula.jpg, Sunset at Korčula File:Korčula city wall.jpg, Korčula town walls File:Korcula City.jpg, Panorama view of Korčula

References

External links

Korculainfo.com

The official web site of Korčula
{{DEFAULTSORT:Korcula (Town) Korčula Cities and towns in Croatia Populated places in Dubrovnik-Neretva County Kingdom of Dalmatia Populated coastal places in Croatia