Atractions of Korcula Town

Source: www.ru-travel.livejournal.com

Today we will walk through the most Venetian town on the Adriatic coast, Korcula. It is located on the island of the same name.

Despite its small size and remoteness from the mainland, Korcula is a very popular tourist destination, and in the summer season is full of vacationers. But in winter, the city seems to die out, and you can take your time strolling through the narrow streets and seeing all the sights.

The territory of the island was inhabited many centuries ago. At the place of today's Korcula was founded first as an ancient Greek, and then as a Roman settlement. But its main function - the fortress for defense of the Peljesac peninsula - Korcula was founded in X century A.D. The first mention of the town dates at this time.

At various times the owners of the city were Slavic princes, Croatian-Hungarian kings and Genoese rulers. In the history of Korcula there was also a brief period of independence. In 1420 the city finally came under the control of the Venetians. It was then, in the 15th and 16th centuries, that most of the city was built in the typical Renaissance style of the time.
On the fortress walls the Venetian coat of arms is depicted - a lion with his paw on a book.

The houses are decorated with carved windows and family emblems. But the main feature in the architecture that sets Korcula apart from other Adriatic "Venetian" estates is the large number of balcony-crossings.

The feature of Korcula's architecture is a large number of crossing balconies.

These are the only ones we have seen in Venice itself. The inhabitants of the island city are aware of this and cherish their treasures, constantly restoring them and even building new ones. Such reverent attitude to architecture is also explained by the fact that, along with ship-building, stone carving was the main occupation of the residents of medieval Korcula. No wonder that as early as the 15th century the town was spoken of as "the pearl of architectural art", and in the 17th century one of the Croatian poets called Korcula "the jewel of the world".

The oldest part of the city is the city walls. They were built in the 13th century. The walls were many times restored and strengthened, so today among the medieval fortifications we can find quite modern masonry.

In the XV century the city was fortified by several defensive structures: the Sea Gate (1448), Southern Gate (1496), Great Princely Tower (1499), Bokar Tower (1484), All Saints Tower (1499) and Zakernian Tower (1490). But not all of them survived in their original form.
At the site of the Tower of All Saints, only the semi-circular base is preserved where the old cannons are now installed.

One of them has a seal of the famous winged lion, the symbol of the Republic of Venice.

Large and Small Princely Towers

Zakernian Tower

Bokar Tower

To the left of the entrance is the Town Hall, which is very similar to the Big Town Lodge in Trogir. Here you can find coats of arms, cannons and commemorative plaques.

Town Hall

Coats of arms, cannons, and commemorative plaques at Town Hall

If you walk through the gallery of the Town Hall, you can get to the Great and Small Princely Towers. On the way we met a very interesting modern plaque. It says that Marco Polo was imprisoned in the tower. But how many we were not looking for confirmation of this fact on the Internet, and have not found it.

At the Main Entrance is the Church of St. Michael.

The first references to it date back to 1408, but the church got its present appearance in the XVII-XVIII centuries. Its main feature is the oblong-shaped windows and a portal topped by a small arched niche with a marble statue of St. Michael.

The interior of the church has also been preserved: original furniture, old paintings and gilded candelabra.

If we walk under the bridge to the left of the church, after a few meters we come to the main square of Korcula. And the first attraction that meets us is the Church of Our Lady.

The church building was built in 1438 and was used as a chapel for the noble families of Korcula - the Gabriellis and Ismaelis. It is also the site of their tombs. The church has been reconstructed several times, and today it is home to a gallery of fine arts. If you manage to visit this church, note the amazing mosaic behind the altar, created by the Dutch artist Louis Schrickell.

To the right of the church is a medieval column, which was built at the same time as the church. The column has survived to this day without any restoration, in its original form.

The next landmark building that met us in the scaffolding was the Gabriellis Palace.

The house of one of the noble families of Korcula was built in the 15th century. In 1957, the City Museum was opened here, which has various exhibitions dedicated to the history and culture of the city. Especially proud is the collection of works of art collected here over many years. It includes paintings, sculptures made from various materials, photographs, jewelry, etc.

The next historical treasure is the Bishop's Palace. It is located opposite the Gabriellis Palace.

This Renaissance style house is over four centuries old. Its distinctive feature is the balcony in the length of the entire facade. According to local legends, it is one of the longest balconies in the Mediterranean.

On its own two-story building with a balcony may not attract the attention of tourists, but the treasures presented in the Bishop's Palace are known throughout the world. A collection of small icons has been preserved here, some of which are recognized as rarities.

The palace also displays an exposition of paintings that are of great artistic value: Carpaccio's Portrait of a Man, Bossano's Our Lady with Child, drawings by Raphael, and a tiny image of the Madonna by a local artist. One of the most valuable exhibits is considered a sketch of a soldier's suit by Leonardo da Vinci.

The main pearl of the square is St. Mark's Cathedral.

The cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in Korcula. In the XIII century there was a small church in its place, but after the establishment of the diocese in the XIV century and the rapid development of architecture and construction, it was decided to build a Gothic cathedral in place of the old church. And as Korcula was at that time ruled by the Venetians, the cathedral was built in honour of St. Mark.

Decorations of St. Mark's Cathedral

Later, locals built the Chapel of St. Roch next to the cathedral as thanks for ridding from the plague in the city.
Among the cathedral's decorations are a tympanum with the figure of St. Mark, a statue of St. Vlach, and an ornate portal with figures of lions and unusual statues of Adam and Eve.

The residents of Korcula apparently liked the decorations of this kind, and they replicated them all over the city.

The next ensemble of historic buildings is St. Peter's Church and the ancestral home of traveler Marco Polo.

Church of St. Peter

It is a small Gothic temple from the 14th century. The decoration of the portal is a bas-relief with the image of St. Peter, the work of the Milanese master Bonino.

Church of St. Peter

Try to enter the church. There, along the walls, you will see unique wooden sculptures of the apostles, and crowned by the statue of Peter set in the center of the altar.

Marco Polo

According to some Croatian historians, Marco Polo (1254-1324) was not born in Venice, but in Korcula. The reason for this statement was the fact that in the city there was a house that belonged to his father. The first evidence of the Polo family's stay in Venice dates only to the second half of the XIII century.
The second, confirmed fact of Marco Polo's stay in Korcula dates back to 1298. He took part here in the battle between the Venetians (who owned the island) and the Genoese, and was taken prisoner by the latter. The tablet we found above confirms the fact of his participation in the battle. But since the Genoese never captured the island of Korcula, the captive Marco Polo could not have been imprisoned here. The time spent in prison was not in vain. He wrote his famous book of the wonders of the world here.

Now, the family home of the Polo family is a museum of the traveler. The exposition includes wax figures in suits of the time and decorations illustrating scenes from the life of the traveler, as well as banners with quotations from Marco Polo's books. There are scenes from the life of Marco Polo in Korcula, his journey through the Egyptian sands and China, a scene of a meeting with Kublai Khan in Mongolia, and scenes of Marco Polo's imprisonment in Genoa.

The sights described above are considered the main attractions in the Old Town. Walking through the narrow streets, we repeatedly came across dilapidated churches and unusual facades of houses. But unfortunately there is no detailed information about their history.

Another church built in the second half of the nineteenth century is the Church of St. Justin. It is located behind the fortress walls of the Old Town, but you can easily find it by the dome with the statue of the Resurrection of Christ.

Temple of St. Justin