Basic facts about Korcula

Korcula is an island in Central Dalmatia area of 279.03 km2 and 16,000 inhabitants. The three largest resorts on the island of Korcula are Vela Luka in the west of the island, and in the interior Blato and town of Korcula. On the east and other places are Lumbarda, Pupnat, Žrnovo, Cara, Smokvica i Racisce. The climate is Mediterranean climate (mild), the average temperature in January is 9.8 ° C and in July 26.9 ° C.

History about Korcula

Name of the island comes from Korkyra, the oldest names in which they called the founders of the main island resorts on it, Greek Dorians of Knidosa. Since the same name is called the island of Corfu in Greece, in the 1st century BC Strabo add names Korkyra adjective Melaina (black) so the name would differ from Korkyra in the south.

The Slavic name Kurkra and Krkar, depending on whether it was used, Korculan Romans or Slavs, appeared in 10 century in the records of the emperor Konstatin Porphyrogenitus. Venetian influence is changing the Slavic name and the island gets the name Curzola.

Korcula gets the first colony in 6. century BC, and was founded by Dorians from the Greek city Knidosa. The first news of this brings Pseudo Skylaks (1. century BC) and Strabo (1. century BC), however, still does not know where the first settlement was located.

The oldest settlement of the island dates from the Neolithic period, as evidenced by numerous archaeological finds in various parts of the island. Vela is certainly the most significant cave in Spilinski rat in Vela Luka and Jakasov cave south of Postrana (Zrnovo). Founded artifacts are quartz, diorite and others not possible to found on the island, which suggests that the first inhabitants came from the neighboring mainland, and parts of founded ceramics suggest a conection with Sicily and southern Italy.

Many ruins and the crowd, which is especially a lot in the area of Mocila at Pupnat, dating from the mid second millennium BC, and indicate the time of the Illyrian settlement. Greek colonists from the island of Vis (Issejci) founded in the 4th c. BC their settlement in Lumbarda, as evidenced by an inscription found on Koludrt (Lumbarda) where he talks about the division of the land for colonists, while in the nearby necropolis found beautiful examples of Guathija vases and other funerary objects.

The arrival of the Slavs in Korcula is mentioned in the 10th century. Since the arrival of the Slavs Korcula changed many rulers: the first is in the 1000. year Venetian Doge Peter II. Orseolo, along with other Dalamtian cities and islands, occupied also Korcula. Later it was under Croatian-Hungary rulers of Zahumlje, again under Venice, later Bosnia, for a short time from the 1413th to 1420th under rule of Dubrovnik Republic. In 1214th Korcula has its own statute, maintained in the office of the 1265th and in two copies from 15th century.

From 1420 to 1797. Korcula was under the Venetian Republic. After the fall of Venice 1797th Korcula has changed several authorities: the Austrian 1797th to the 1805th year and from 1815th until 1918. The French of the 1805th the 1813th The Russian from 1806th the 1807th The English from the 1813th to the 1815th year. Since 1918. to 1921. Korcula was briefly under Italian rule, to 1921st year after the signing of the Rapallo Treaty became an integral part of the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
After the First World. War is formed Yugoslavia. Ruin of Yugoslavia after the war in 1990.-1995., Croatia became an independent state and Korcula continues to be a part od it.