Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

464 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp502–505 and p506–507

KEY

Ferry terminal

Visitor information

Beach with facilities

Major road

Minor road

Ferry route

to isolate the town. Narrow

streets branching off the main

road were designed to lessen

the impact of the strong Bora

wind common in this area.

Facing the central square,

Strossmayerov Square, is the

13th-century Cathedral of

St Mark (Katedrala sv Marka),

built in pale, honey-coloured

stone. The skill of Korčula’s

sculptors and stone masons

is evident in its ornate door.

On the left stands an imposing

bell tower, while inside the

church are large columns with

elaborately decorated capitals

and several important sculp-

tures, including the tomb of

Bishop Toma Malumbra. The

paintings include Venetian

artist Tintoretto’s impressive

St Mark with St Jerome and

St Bartholomew (1550). On a

wall are trophies recall ing the

Battle of Lepanto of 1571.

Next to the cathedral, in

the Bishop’s Palace, now the

Abbot’s House, is the Abbey

Treasury (Opatska Riznica). It

is particularly known for its

Dalmatian and Venetian art,

including a polyptych by Blaž

of Trogir, two altar paint ings

by Pellegrino of San Daniele,

a Sacred Conversation and an

Annunciation by Titian and

Portrait of a Man by Vittore

Carpaccio. To the left of the

cathedral, a door by Bonino

of Milan decorates the Gothic

Church of St Peter (sv Petar).

Facing the church are the

Gothic Arneri Palace and the

16th-century Renaissance

Gabriellis Palace. The latter

has been the Civic Museum

(Gradski muzej) since 1957

and contains documents on

Korčula’s seafaring history,

an interesting archaeological

section covering the period

from prehistoric to Roman

times and other works of art.

Along the seafront is the

All Saints’ Church (Svi Sveti),

built in 1301 and remodelled

in the Baroque style; it belongs

to the oldest brotherhood

on the island. Inside is an

18th-century wooden Pietà

by the Austrian artist George

Raphael Donner, and a

15th-cen tury polyptych by

Blaž of Trogir. In the nearby

quarters of the brotherhood

Korčula Town
This enchanting town is
perched on a peninsula
and surrounded by strong
13th-century walls, which
were reinforced with towers
and bastions by the Venetians
after 1420. The Land Gate
(Kopnena Vrata), the main
entrance to the Old Town,
was fortified by a huge
tower, which overlooked a
canal dug by the Venetians

Korčula 5

At a length of 47 km (29 miles), Korčula
is one of the largest islands in the Adriatic
Sea. Mountains run the length of the
island, reaching an altitude of 560 m
(1,837 ft) at their peak, and dense forests
of Aleppo pine, cypress and oak are
found all over. Inhabited since prehistoric
times, the island was named Korkyra
Melaina by the Greeks. After AD 1000, it
was fought over by Venice and the Croat
kings, and later by the Genoese and the Ottoman Turks.
In the 1298 naval battle between Genoa and Venice, the
Genoese captured Marco Polo said to be a native of the
island. Today, Korčula is a popular holiday spot for its
beaches, scenic villages and the eponymous town.

Gothic relief in

All Saints’

Church

Land Gate, the main entrance to Korčula’s Old Town

KO

Blato

Prižba Brna

Prigradica

Potirna

Vela Luka

Proizd

Hvar

41 km (25 miles)