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Korcula
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KorÄ?ula (Italian Curzola, Latin Corcyra Nigra, Greek Korkyra Melaina, Old-Slavic: Кркар) is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva county of Croatia. The island has an area of 279 km² — it is 46.8 km long and 7.8 km wide — and lies parallel to the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,138 (2001) inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. Around 97 per cent of the population are ethnic Croats.
KorÄ?ula is also the name of the ancient fortified town on the protected east coast of the island, population 3,232 (2001), geographically located at 42°57′N 17°07′E.
The island of KorÄ?ula belongs to the central Dalmatian archipelago, separated from the PeljeÅ¡ac peninsula by a narrow strait of PeljeÅ¡ac, between 900 and 3,000 meters wide (illustration, right). It is the sixth largest Adriatic island with a rather indented coast. The highest peaks are Klupca (568 m) and Kom (510 m). The climate is mild; an average air temperature in January is 9.8 °C and in July 26.9 °C; the average annual rainfall is 1,100 mm. The island is largely covered with the Mediterranean flora; at some places are pine forests.
The island also includes the towns of Vela Luka and Blato and the coastal villages of Lumbarda and RaÄ?iÅ¡Ä‹e, and in the interior Žrnovo, Pupnat, Smokvica and ÄŒara. The main road runs along the spine of the island connecting all settlements from Lumbarda on the eastern to Vela Luka on the western end, with the exception of RaÄ?iÅ¡Ä‹e which is served by a separate road running along the northern coast. Ferries connect the city of KorÄ?ula with Orebić on the PeljeÅ¡ac peninsula and Drvenik on the mainland (near Makarska). Another line connects Vela Luka with Split and the island of Lastovo. Fast passenger catamarans connect those two ports with Split and the islands of Hvar and Lastovo. The main Adriatic ferry line conects KorÄ?ula with Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Rijeka and in summer there are direct ferries to Italian Adriatic ports.
KorÄ?ula is the most populous Adriatic island with almost 20,000 inhabitants, although their number has slightly dropped between the censuses of 1991 and 2001. The island is divided by KorÄ?ula, Smokvica, Blato and Vela Luka municipality.
The walled old city, with streets arranged in a herringbone pattern allowing free circulation of air but protecting against strong winds, 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 KorÄ?ula's narrow streets are stepped with the notable exception of the street running alongside the southeastern wall, called Street of thoughts as one did not have to worry about the steps. The town includes several interesting historic sights: the central Roman Catholic cathedral of St Mark (built from 1301 to 1806), the 15th-century Franciscan monastery with its beautiful Venetian Gothic cloister, the civic council chambers, the palace of the former Venetian governors, grand 15th and 16th century palaces of the local merchant nobles, and the massive city fortifications.
The devout people of KorÄ?ula keep alive old folk church ceremonies and a war game(moreÅ¡ka), once (in the middle ages) performed all over the Mediterranean.
The city is notable for its Statute dating back to 1214 which prohibited slavery, making KorÄ?ula the first place in the world to outlaw that practice.
The island has a long prehistoric, ancient, Byzantine, Venetian, Serbian and Croatian history. Though Korculans like to identify Antenor, fleeing from Troy, as the city's founder, there are even older neolithic burial mounds, a possible Phoenician settlement, and a Greek colony founded from Cnidus. Besides its ship timbers and pitch, KorÄ?ula's quarries supplied stone for buildings as far away as Vienna and Stockholm. The island's earliest name, Korkyra Melaina, means "Black Corfu" — "black" perhaps for its dark pine forests that have always provided shipbuilding materials.
The island was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia until the Great Migrations. In the early 7th century, the Avar invasion brought the Slavs. As the barbarians started settling on the coast, the Italic population had to take refuge in the islands. Along the Dalmatian coast the Slavic migrants from the upper Balkans seized control of the area where the Narenta (Neretva) River enters the Adriatic, as well as the island of KorÄ?ula (Curzola), that protect the river mouth. A painting dated 1800 in the museum at KorÄ?ula patriotically represents “The arrival of Croatians at the seaâ€?, showing a group of medieval knights who, from the neat mountain heights of the Croatian coast, admire the bright vista of the Adriatic Sea. Christianizing of the Slavs began in the 9th century, but the Slavic inhabitants of the island have fully accepted Christianity later. The population of the island is described as being the Neretvians of the coastal Principality of Pagania.
At first Venetian merchants were willing to pay annual tribute to keep their shipping safe from the Narentine (Neretvian) pirates of the Dalmatian coast. In 927 - 960, the island passed on to Prince Ceslav of Klonimir. After that, the island was under nominal Byzantine suzeiranity as a part of the theme of Serbia. In 998 the Principality of Pagania came under direct Venetian control, but was returned to home control, this time by the Grand Principality of Zahumlje.
In the 12th century, KorÄ?ula was conquered by a Venetian nobleman, Pepone Zorzi, and incorporated it into the Venetian Republic. Although, KorÄ?ula acted as an independent island further on.
Brothers of Stephen Nemanja Miroslav and Stracimir launched a pirate attack on the island on 10 August 1184, raiding its fertile western part. The island's inhabitants called the Dubrovnik Republic for help, which in turn captured all of Stracimir's galleys.
The Statute of KorÄ?ula was made in 1214. It guarranteed the autonomy of the island, apart from her outside rulers - Grand Principality of Rascia, semi-independent (Grand) Principality of Zahumlje and the Republics of Dubrovnik and Venetia. Captainies were created for each and every one of the 5 island's settlements for organised defence. KorÄ?ula had below 2,500 inhabitants back then.
In 1221, Pope Honorius III gifted the island to the Princes of Krka ({Šubićs).
In 1222, Serbian King Stephen the First-crowned of Nemanja, now gifted his monasteries and lands on the island, refering to it as Krkar (cyrilics: Кркар) to his followers of the Benedictine Monastical Order on Mljet.
Doge Pietro II Orseolo assumed the title Dux Dalmatinorum ("Duke of the Dalmatians"). During the 12th century the hereditary Counts of Curzola were loosely governed from Hungary and from Genoa in turn, and also enjoyed a brief period of independence; but, in 1255, Marsilio Zorzi conquered the island's city and raized or damaged some of its churches during the process, forcing the Counts to return to Venetian supreme rule. According to a local tradition, Marco Polo was born at Curzola in 1254, to an established family of merchants; there is actually no proof of this claim. Genoa defeated Venice at Curzola in 1298, but in the long run was eliminated from the Adriatic. Marco Polo was possibly taken prisoner by the Genoese in the battle and spent his time in a Genoese prison writing of his travels.
After the writings of Pope Martin IV in 1284 and Pope Honorius IV in 1286 to the Dubrovnik Archbishop, the Archbishop implaced a certain Petar as Bishop of Ston and KorÄ?ula - stacnensis ac Crozolensis. In 1291, Ivan KruÄ?ić was in KorÄ?ula's city as the Bishop of KorÄ?ula. Bishop Ivan contested his overlord, the Archbishop of Hvar, and wanted to unite Ston with his church domain. In 1300, Pope Bonifacio VIII finally implaced the KorÄ?ula Bishopric under the Archbishopric of Dubrovnik. In 1333, as the Republic of Dubrovnik purchased Ston with PeljeÅ¡ac from the Serbian Empire, the suzeiranity of Ston's Roman Catholic Church with the penisnular was given to the Bishopric of KorÄ?ula.
"Curzola" surrendered to the Kingdom of Hungary in 1358, and was purchased by the neighbouring Republic of Dubrovnik in 1413-1417, but declared itself subjected to the Republic of Venetia in 1420. In 1571 it defended itself so gallantly against the Ottoman navies at the Battle of Lepanto that it obtained the designation Fidelissima from the Pope. From 1776 to 1797 Curzola succeeded Lesina as the main Venetian fortified arsenal in this region. According to the Treaty of Campoformio in 1797 in which the Venetian Republic was divided between the French Republic and the Austrian Empire, KorÄ?ula passed on to the Habsburg Monarchy. The French Empire invaded the island in 1806, joining it with the Illyrian provinces. The Montenegrin Forces of Prince-Episcope Peter I NjegÅ¡ conquered the island with Russian naval assistence in 1807 during his attempt to construct another Serbian Empire. However, the Great Powers decided to give the island to the Austrian Empire. island became a part of the Austrian crownland of Dalmatia; since 1867 being the Cisleithanian part of the Monarchy of Austro-Hungary.
During the First World War, the island was guarranteed to the Kingdom of Italy in the 1915 Treaty of London. After the war, KorÄ?ula became a part, with the rest of Dalmatia, of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in 1918, but suffered Italian occupation in the period of [1918]] - 1921, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia since 1929. In 1939, it became a part of the Croatian Banate. During the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia in 1941 - 1945, it was a part of Fascist Italy. With the liberation of Yugoslavia in 1945, the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia was formed, and KorÄ?ula became a part of the People's Republic of Croatia, one of the six Yugoslav Republics. The state changed name to Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1953, and so did the Republic into Socialist Republic of Croatia. After 1991, the island became a part of the independent Republic of Croatia.
KorÄ?ula is also the name of the ancient fortified town on the protected east coast of the island, population 3,232 (2001), geographically located at 42°57′N 17°07′E.
The island of KorÄ?ula belongs to the central Dalmatian archipelago, separated from the PeljeÅ¡ac peninsula by a narrow strait of PeljeÅ¡ac, between 900 and 3,000 meters wide (illustration, right). It is the sixth largest Adriatic island with a rather indented coast. The highest peaks are Klupca (568 m) and Kom (510 m). The climate is mild; an average air temperature in January is 9.8 °C and in July 26.9 °C; the average annual rainfall is 1,100 mm. The island is largely covered with the Mediterranean flora; at some places are pine forests.
The island also includes the towns of Vela Luka and Blato and the coastal villages of Lumbarda and RaÄ?iÅ¡Ä‹e, and in the interior Žrnovo, Pupnat, Smokvica and ÄŒara. The main road runs along the spine of the island connecting all settlements from Lumbarda on the eastern to Vela Luka on the western end, with the exception of RaÄ?iÅ¡Ä‹e which is served by a separate road running along the northern coast. Ferries connect the city of KorÄ?ula with Orebić on the PeljeÅ¡ac peninsula and Drvenik on the mainland (near Makarska). Another line connects Vela Luka with Split and the island of Lastovo. Fast passenger catamarans connect those two ports with Split and the islands of Hvar and Lastovo. The main Adriatic ferry line conects KorÄ?ula with Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Rijeka and in summer there are direct ferries to Italian Adriatic ports.
KorÄ?ula is the most populous Adriatic island with almost 20,000 inhabitants, although their number has slightly dropped between the censuses of 1991 and 2001. The island is divided by KorÄ?ula, Smokvica, Blato and Vela Luka municipality.
The walled old city, with streets arranged in a herringbone pattern allowing free circulation of air but protecting against strong winds, 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 KorÄ?ula's narrow streets are stepped with the notable exception of the street running alongside the southeastern wall, called Street of thoughts as one did not have to worry about the steps. The town includes several interesting historic sights: the central Roman Catholic cathedral of St Mark (built from 1301 to 1806), the 15th-century Franciscan monastery with its beautiful Venetian Gothic cloister, the civic council chambers, the palace of the former Venetian governors, grand 15th and 16th century palaces of the local merchant nobles, and the massive city fortifications.
The devout people of KorÄ?ula keep alive old folk church ceremonies and a war game(moreÅ¡ka), once (in the middle ages) performed all over the Mediterranean.
The city is notable for its Statute dating back to 1214 which prohibited slavery, making KorÄ?ula the first place in the world to outlaw that practice.
The island has a long prehistoric, ancient, Byzantine, Venetian, Serbian and Croatian history. Though Korculans like to identify Antenor, fleeing from Troy, as the city's founder, there are even older neolithic burial mounds, a possible Phoenician settlement, and a Greek colony founded from Cnidus. Besides its ship timbers and pitch, KorÄ?ula's quarries supplied stone for buildings as far away as Vienna and Stockholm. The island's earliest name, Korkyra Melaina, means "Black Corfu" — "black" perhaps for its dark pine forests that have always provided shipbuilding materials.
The island was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia until the Great Migrations. In the early 7th century, the Avar invasion brought the Slavs. As the barbarians started settling on the coast, the Italic population had to take refuge in the islands. Along the Dalmatian coast the Slavic migrants from the upper Balkans seized control of the area where the Narenta (Neretva) River enters the Adriatic, as well as the island of KorÄ?ula (Curzola), that protect the river mouth. A painting dated 1800 in the museum at KorÄ?ula patriotically represents “The arrival of Croatians at the seaâ€?, showing a group of medieval knights who, from the neat mountain heights of the Croatian coast, admire the bright vista of the Adriatic Sea. Christianizing of the Slavs began in the 9th century, but the Slavic inhabitants of the island have fully accepted Christianity later. The population of the island is described as being the Neretvians of the coastal Principality of Pagania.
At first Venetian merchants were willing to pay annual tribute to keep their shipping safe from the Narentine (Neretvian) pirates of the Dalmatian coast. In 927 - 960, the island passed on to Prince Ceslav of Klonimir. After that, the island was under nominal Byzantine suzeiranity as a part of the theme of Serbia. In 998 the Principality of Pagania came under direct Venetian control, but was returned to home control, this time by the Grand Principality of Zahumlje.
In the 12th century, KorÄ?ula was conquered by a Venetian nobleman, Pepone Zorzi, and incorporated it into the Venetian Republic. Although, KorÄ?ula acted as an independent island further on.
Brothers of Stephen Nemanja Miroslav and Stracimir launched a pirate attack on the island on 10 August 1184, raiding its fertile western part. The island's inhabitants called the Dubrovnik Republic for help, which in turn captured all of Stracimir's galleys.
The Statute of KorÄ?ula was made in 1214. It guarranteed the autonomy of the island, apart from her outside rulers - Grand Principality of Rascia, semi-independent (Grand) Principality of Zahumlje and the Republics of Dubrovnik and Venetia. Captainies were created for each and every one of the 5 island's settlements for organised defence. KorÄ?ula had below 2,500 inhabitants back then.
In 1221, Pope Honorius III gifted the island to the Princes of Krka ({Šubićs).
In 1222, Serbian King Stephen the First-crowned of Nemanja, now gifted his monasteries and lands on the island, refering to it as Krkar (cyrilics: Кркар) to his followers of the Benedictine Monastical Order on Mljet.
Doge Pietro II Orseolo assumed the title Dux Dalmatinorum ("Duke of the Dalmatians"). During the 12th century the hereditary Counts of Curzola were loosely governed from Hungary and from Genoa in turn, and also enjoyed a brief period of independence; but, in 1255, Marsilio Zorzi conquered the island's city and raized or damaged some of its churches during the process, forcing the Counts to return to Venetian supreme rule. According to a local tradition, Marco Polo was born at Curzola in 1254, to an established family of merchants; there is actually no proof of this claim. Genoa defeated Venice at Curzola in 1298, but in the long run was eliminated from the Adriatic. Marco Polo was possibly taken prisoner by the Genoese in the battle and spent his time in a Genoese prison writing of his travels.
After the writings of Pope Martin IV in 1284 and Pope Honorius IV in 1286 to the Dubrovnik Archbishop, the Archbishop implaced a certain Petar as Bishop of Ston and KorÄ?ula - stacnensis ac Crozolensis. In 1291, Ivan KruÄ?ić was in KorÄ?ula's city as the Bishop of KorÄ?ula. Bishop Ivan contested his overlord, the Archbishop of Hvar, and wanted to unite Ston with his church domain. In 1300, Pope Bonifacio VIII finally implaced the KorÄ?ula Bishopric under the Archbishopric of Dubrovnik. In 1333, as the Republic of Dubrovnik purchased Ston with PeljeÅ¡ac from the Serbian Empire, the suzeiranity of Ston's Roman Catholic Church with the penisnular was given to the Bishopric of KorÄ?ula.
"Curzola" surrendered to the Kingdom of Hungary in 1358, and was purchased by the neighbouring Republic of Dubrovnik in 1413-1417, but declared itself subjected to the Republic of Venetia in 1420. In 1571 it defended itself so gallantly against the Ottoman navies at the Battle of Lepanto that it obtained the designation Fidelissima from the Pope. From 1776 to 1797 Curzola succeeded Lesina as the main Venetian fortified arsenal in this region. According to the Treaty of Campoformio in 1797 in which the Venetian Republic was divided between the French Republic and the Austrian Empire, KorÄ?ula passed on to the Habsburg Monarchy. The French Empire invaded the island in 1806, joining it with the Illyrian provinces. The Montenegrin Forces of Prince-Episcope Peter I NjegÅ¡ conquered the island with Russian naval assistence in 1807 during his attempt to construct another Serbian Empire. However, the Great Powers decided to give the island to the Austrian Empire. island became a part of the Austrian crownland of Dalmatia; since 1867 being the Cisleithanian part of the Monarchy of Austro-Hungary.
During the First World War, the island was guarranteed to the Kingdom of Italy in the 1915 Treaty of London. After the war, KorÄ?ula became a part, with the rest of Dalmatia, of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in 1918, but suffered Italian occupation in the period of [1918]] - 1921, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia since 1929. In 1939, it became a part of the Croatian Banate. During the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia in 1941 - 1945, it was a part of Fascist Italy. With the liberation of Yugoslavia in 1945, the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia was formed, and KorÄ?ula became a part of the People's Republic of Croatia, one of the six Yugoslav Republics. The state changed name to Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1953, and so did the Republic into Socialist Republic of Croatia. After 1991, the island became a part of the independent Republic of Croatia.
Alfred