Korčula

Name	Korčula
Image name	Korcula_City.jpg
Image caption	Korčula (town)
Locator map	Croatia - Korcula.PNG
Native name link	Croatian
Location	Adriatic Sea
Coordinates
Archipelago	Central Dalmatian
Area km2	279
Length km	46.8
Width km	7.8
Highest mount	Klupca
Elevation m	568
Country	Croatia
Country admin divisions title	County
Country admin divisions	Dubrovnik-Neretva
Country largest city	Korčula
Country largest city population	5,889
Population	16,182
Population as of	2001
Density km2	58
Ethnic groups	96.77% Croats

Korčula ( ; , , Old-Slavic Krkar, Venetian and Italian Curzola) is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 (2001) inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. The population are mainly ethnic Croats (96.77%).

Geography

The island of Korčula belongs to the central Dalmatian archipelago, separated from the Pelješac peninsula by a narrow strait of Pelješac, between wide (illustration, right). It is the sixth largest Adriatic island with a rather indented coast. The highest peaks are Klupca, above sea level and Kom, high. 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 Mediterranean flora including extensive pine forests.

The island also includes the towns of Korčula, Vela Luka and Blato and the coastal villages of Lumbarda and Račišće, and in the interior Žrnovo, Pupnat, Smokvica and Čara. 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 Račišċe which is served by a separate road running along the northern coast. Ferries connect the city of Korčula with Orebić on the Pelješac 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 connects Korčula with Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Rijeka and in summer there are direct ferries to Italian Adriatic ports. The island is divided into Korčula, Smokvica, Blato and Lumbarda municipalities.

History

According to legend, the island was founded by Trojan hero Antenor in the 12th century BC who is also famed as the founder of the city of Padua.

The island was first settled by Mesolithic and Neolithic peoples. There is archaeological evidence at the sites of Vela Spila (Big Cave) and at Jakas Cave near the village of Zrnovo. The finds of Vela Spila are on display at the Center for Culture in Vela Luka . The fate of these peoples is not know but the sites do provide a window into their way of life.

The second wave of human settement was by Illyrians. It is believed that the Illyrians arrived in Balkans approximately 1000 BC. They were semi-nomadic tribal people living from agriculture. There are numerous old stone buildings and fortresses (gradine) left behind by the Illyrians.

Melaina Korkyra (, "Black Corfu") was the ancient Cnidian Greek colony founded on Korčula. Greek colonists from Corcyra (Corfu) formed a small colony on the island in the 6th century B.C. The Greeks named it "Black Corfu" after their homeland and the dense pine-woods on the island. Greek artifacts, including carved marble tombstones can be found at the local Korčula town museum. A stone inscription found in Lumbarda (Lumbarda Psephisma) and which is the oldest written stone monument in Croatia (and, until recently, in former Yugoslavia), records that Greek settlers from Issa (Vis) founded another colony on the island in the 3rd century BC. The two communities lived peacefully until the Illyrian Wars (220 BC to 219 BC) with the Romans.

The island became part of the Roman province of Illyricum after the Illyrian Wars. Roman migration followed and Roman citizens arrived on the island. Roman villas appeared through the territory of Korčula and there is evidence of an organised agricultural exploitation of the land. There are archaeological remains of Roman Junianum on the island and old church foundations. In 10 AD Illyricum was split into two provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia. Korčula became part of the ancient Roman province of Dalmatia. In the 6th century it came under Byzantine rule.

The Great Migrations of the 6th and 7th centuries, brought the Slavic and Avar invasions into this region. As the so-called barbarians began settling on the coast, the Romanised local coastal population had to take refuge on the islands. Along the Dalmatian coast the Croatian Slavic peoples migrations poured in from the interior and seized control of the area where the Neretva River enters the Adriatic, as well as the island of Korčula (Corcyra), that protect the river mouth. The Christianization of the Croats began in the 9th century, but the early Slavic rural inhabitants of the island may well have fully accepted Christianity later. Accordingly, the Croatian population of the island in the early Middle Ages was described as being in the same group as the Neretvians of the coastal Principality of Pagania (the land of the Pagans). 's alleged birthplace in modern-day Korčula]] It is apparent that piracy on the sea emerged as the settlers of the coastal delta of the Neretva river quickly learned maritime skills in their new environment. At first Venetian merchants were willing to pay an annual tribute to keep their shipping safe from the infamous Neretvian pirates of the Dalmatian coast (predating the Uskok pirates based further north in Senj). After the 9th century, the island was briefly under nominal Byzantine suzerainty. In 998 the Principality of Pagania came under Venetian control. Doge Pietro II Orseolo launched a naval expedition along the coast and assumed the title Duke of Dalmatia. Afterwards Korčula came under the control of the Great Principality of Zahumlje.

In the 12th century Korčula was conquered by a Venetian nobleman, Pepone Zorzi, and incorporated it briefly into the Venetian Republic. Around this time, the local Korčula rulers began to exercise diplomacy and legislate a town charter to secure the independence of the island, particularly with regard to internal affairs, given the presence of its more powerful neighbors. The brothers of Stephen Nemanja, Miroslav and Stracimir, launched an attack on the island on 10 August 1184, raiding its fertile western part. The island's inhabitants called the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) for help, which in turn captured all of Stracimir's galleys.

The Statute of Korčula was first drafted in 1214. This legal document is the second oldest example of legislation among Slavs, with only the Russkaya Pravda of 11th and 12th Century Russia predating it. It guaranteed the autonomy of the island, apart from her outside rulers - Grand Principality of Raška, semi-independent Great Principality of Zahumlje and the Republics of Ragusa and Venice. Captains were created for every one of the 5 island's settlements for organized defense. Korčula had less than 2,500 inhabitants at that time.

In 1221, Pope Honorius III gifted the island to the Princes of Krka (Šubićs).Then 1222, the Serbian King Stephen the First-crowned of Nemanja gifted his monasteries and lands on the island, referring to it as Krkar to his followers of the Benedictine Monastical Order on Mljet.

During the 12th century the hereditary Counts of Korčula were loosely governed by the Hungarian crown and from the Republic of Genoa in turn, and also enjoyed a brief period of independence; but, in 1255, Marsilio Zorzi conquered the island's city and razed 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 Korčula in 1254 to an established family of merchants, although there is no irrefutable proof of this claim. What is more definite however is that the Republic of Genoa defeated Venice in the documented Battle of Korčula off the coast of Korčula in 1298 and a galley commander, Marco Polo, was taken prisoner by the victors to eventually spend his time in a Genoese prison writing of his travels. However, some Italian scholars believe that he may have been captured in a minor clash near Ayas (in sources from those times: Laiazzo). The controversy over the birthplace of Marco Polo between the Venetian and Korčulan theories is the subject of debate up to the present day.

After the writings of Pope Martin IV in 1284 and Pope Honorius IV in 1286 to the Archbishop of Dubrovnik, the Archbishop implaced a certain Petar as Bishop of Ston and Korčula - stacnensis ac Crozolensis. In 1291, Ivan Kručić was in Korčula's city as the Bishop of Korčula. Bishop Ivan contested his overlord, the Archbishop of Hvar, and wanted to unite Ston with his church domain. In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII finally founded the Korčula Bishopric under the Archbishopric of Dubrovnik. In 1333, as the Republic of Ragusa purchased Ston with Pelješac from the Serbian Empire, the suzerainty of Ston's Roman Catholic Church with the peninsula was given to the Bishopric of Korčula.

Curzola, as the Venetians called it, surrendered to the Kingdom of Hungary in 1358 according to the Treaty of Zadar, but it surrendered to the Bosnian King Stefan Tvrtko I in the Summer of 1390. However the Kingdom of Hungary restored rule of the island. and in December 1396 Croatian-Hungarian King Sigismund gifted it to Đurađ II Stracimirović of the Balšić dynasty of Zeta, who kept it up to his death in 1403, when it was returned under the Hungarian crown. In 1409 it again became a part of the Venetian Republic, purchased by the neighbouring Republic of Venice in 1413-1417, it still declared itself subjected to Venice in 1420. In 1571 it defended itself so gallantly against the Ottoman attackers at the Battle of Lepanto that it obtained the designation Fidelissima from the Pope.

Korčula had for years supplied the timber for the wooden walls of Venice, and had been a favourite station of her fleets. From 1776 to 1797 Korčula succeeded Hvar 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 Habsburg Monarchy, Korčula passed on to the Habsburg Monarchy.

The French Empire invaded the island in 1806, joining it to the Illyrian Provinces. The Montenegrin Forces of Prince-Episcope Peter I Njegos conquered the island with Russian naval assistance in 1807 during his attempt to construct another Serbian Empire. However, the Great Powers decided to return the island to the Austrian Empire in 1815, and it accordingly became a part of the Austrian crown land of Dalmatia. From 1867, Korčula was in the Cisleithanian part of Austro-Hungary.

During the First World War, the island (among other territorial gains) was promised to the Kingdom of Italy in the 1915 Treaty of London in return for Italy joining the war on the side of Britain and France. However, after the war, Korčula became a part (with the rest of Dalmatia) of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in 1918. It was ruled by Italy in 1918 - 1921, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1929. In 1939, it became a part of the autonomous Croatian Banate.

During the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia from 1941, the Ustase regime gave the island, together with most of Dalmatia, to Fascist Italy. After the Armistice between Italy and the Allied powers in 1943, it was briefly held by the Yugoslav Partisans who enjoyed considerable support in the region. Korčula was then occupied by the German Nazis and finally liberated in 1944. With the liberation of Yugoslavia in 1945, the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia was formed, and Korčula became a part of the People's Republic of Croatia, one of the six Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The state changed the 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, recognized in 1992.

Arneri Lords of Korčula

The Arneri family, since the 15th century, were one of the land proprietors of Korčula. The palace itself where the Arneri resided is of Venetian Gothic architecture and has been described as a place in which a Contarini might have lived. It has a bronze knocker adorning the door representing Hercules swinging two lions by their tails. In the courtyard there is a marble draw-well. It has three pears cut into it. This symbol is the arms of the family.

Andrew A. Paton an English writer (19th century) spoke to Signor Arneri. Andrew Paton described him as a polite gentleman who had a white neck cloth and a broad-brimmed hat.

:Signor Arneri: "These three pears you see on the wall," said he, "are the arms of my family. Piruzović was the name, when, in the earlier part of the 15th century, my ancestors built this palace; so that, you see, I am Dalmatian. All the family, fathers, sons, and brothers, used to serve in the fleets of the Republic (Republic of Venice); but the hero of our race was Arneri Piruzović, whose statue you see there, who fought, bled, and died at the Siege of Candia, whose memory was honoured by the Republic, and whose surviving family was liberally pensioned; so his name of our race. We became Arneri, and ceased to be Piruzović " The original Patriarch of the clan was called Petar. He had a status of a minor nobleman (local Patrician status of the City of Korčula). The Clan's ancestors lived in the Republic of Ragusa. In 1420 the family was mentioned in the charter of the town of Korčula as the Duke/Lord of Manor of Korčula. In 1558 the clan was awarded Venetian holdings on the Island of Hvar, thereby making them Counts there as well. Other noble famiies of Korčula were Kanavelić, Izmaeli, Gabrijelić and Nikoničić.

Don Marko Bono of Žrnovo

On 10 June 1715, Turkish pirates set out to raid one of the provinces of the Republic of Venice, Dalmatia. It is well documented that the two empires had their fair share of conflicts between each other over the centuries. Sailing around Korčula in two of their galleys, they disembarked at the bay of Brna and 260 of them went on to plunder the island. Firstly they set houses on fire in Smokvica and took 23 of the villagers as prisoners.

When they set fire to the house of the parish priest, Don Marko Bono, a native of Žrnovo, Don Marko decided to fight back. In the process he killed two of them and wounded seven. The pirates took him in chains to Ulcinj. There he was sold in public as a slave for 100 sequins. After two years of searching for him, his relatives found him and managed to buy him back for 141 sequins. Don Marko Bono returned to the village of Smokvica on the island of Korčula where he remained as pastor until his death in 1745. The other 23 Smokvica residents taken prisoner in 1715 remained in slavery, including the sister of Don Jakov Salecic (1678–1747), a noted theologian, poet and historian who was a native of Smokvica.

Culture

The 17th century saw the rise of Petar Kanavelić who wrote love songs, occasional epic poems and dramas. He also translated from Italian the major poetic works of that time. He is regarded as one of the greatest Croatian writers of 17th century. In 1673 he became the representative of the Korčula community in Venice. There is a primary school named after him in the town of Korčula.

Moreška is a traditional sword dance from the town of Korčula. It is one of the many proud traditional sword dances that are performed on the island. It arrived in Korčula around the 16th century. Korčula has a rich musical history of Klape groups. Klapa is a form of a cappella style of singing. The tradition goes back centuries, but the style as we know it today, originated in the 19th century. Oliver Dragojević is a famous Croatian pop singer who comes from the island.

Korčula has a very old Stonemasonry history, a tradition which reached its peak during the rule of the Venetian Republic (1420-1797). The island also has a very strong art tradition.

Notable residents

Jakov Baničević (1466–1532), Renaissance humanist, friend of Desiderius Erasmus and secretary to Maximilian I of Habsburg, from Žrnovo.

Nataša Cetinić (1940–2001), painter, from Blato

Vinko Foretić (1901–1986), historian, from the town of Korčula

Frano Kršinić (1897–1981), sculptor, from Lumbarda.

Ivan Lozica (1910–1943), sculptor from Lumbarda

Ivan Milat Luketa (1922–2009), painter, from Blato.

Izvor Oreb (b. 1946), artist from Vela Luka

Blessed Marija Petković (1892–1966), founder of the Daughters of Mercy Catholic order, from Blato.

Petar Šegedin (1909–1998), writer, from Žrnovo.

Zvonimir Šeparović (b. 1928), legal scholar, former diplomat, from Blato.

Dinko Tomašić (1902–1975), sociologist, from Smokvica.

Maksimilijan Vanka (1889–1963), Croatian-American painter who had a house in Korčula

Economy

The economy, besides tourism, is based on agriculture, namely the cultivation of grape vines, olives and fruit, and fishing and fish processing. Shipbuilding still exists although its importance to the local economy has diminished. Summer tourism has a long tradition on the island. Nautical and village agro-tourism have recently been developed.

Transport

ferry approaching Korčula harbour]] Korčula is linked to the mainland by a regular ferry service that runs between Dominče, just outside of Korčula Town and Orebić. There are numerous other local ferry services including one linking Vela Luka and Lastovo. The main Croatian ferry operator Jadrolinija runs a service linking Korčula Town with Rijeka, Split, Hvar, Mljet, Dubrovnik and (from May to September) Bari.

Korčula town also has mooring facilities. The western harbour gives shelter from wind though not against the ‘bora’ and north-westerlies. Boat owners are advised to shift to the eastern harbour or to Luka Cove. The port is open to international seaborne traffic as a permanent Port of entry; it offers all types of repairs to hulls and engines at the Brodograditelj Shipyard.

See also

Croatia

Dubrovnik-Neretva county

Dalmatia

Republic of Venice

Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Croatia

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Official website

General Info

Webinfo about Korčula island

Info Page about Korčula

Guide to Korčula

Korčula island tourist info

Travel information for Korčula town

Island Korčula info point

Korčula travel and holiday info

Category:Islands of Croatia Category:Islands of the Adriatic Sea Category:Dubrovnik-Neretva County Category:Trojan colonies Category:Greek colonies in Croatia Category:Corcyraean colonies Category:Greek colonies in Illyria Category:Former populated places in the Balkans Category:Ancient Greek cities