Luka Jačov (talk | contribs) mNo edit summary |
PaxEquilibrium (talk | contribs) →History: greatly expanding the History section |
||
Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
== History == |
== History == |
||
[[Image:Korcula-east-panoramic.j1.jpg|280px|right|thumb|A panoramic view of the easternmost parts of Korčula, with Lumbarda, Korčula city and Orebić (Pelješac) from left to right]] |
[[Image:Korcula-east-panoramic.j1.jpg|280px|right|thumb|A panoramic view of the easternmost parts of Korčula, with Lumbarda, Korčula city and Orebić (Pelješac) from left to right]] |
||
The island has a long prehistoric, ancient, Byzantine, |
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 [[Phoenicia]]n settlement, and a [[Greek colony]] founded from [[Cnidus]]. Besides its ship timbers and pitch, Korčula'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 [[European Black Pine|pine]] forests that have always provided shipbuilding materials. |
||
The island was part of the Roman province of [[Dalmatia]] until the [[migrations period|Great Migrations]]. In the early 7th century, the [[Eurasian Avars|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 |
The island was part of the Roman province of [[Dalmatia]] until the [[migrations period|Great Migrations]]. In the early [[7th century]], the [[Eurasian Avars|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 ''Korčula'' (''Curzola''), that protect the river mouth. A painting dated 1800 in the museum at Korčula patriotically represents “The arrival of [[Croats|Croatians]] at the sea”, 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 [[Pagania|Neretvians]] of the coastal [[Principality]] of [[Pagania]], a [[Serbian]] tribe with [[Pirateering]] tendencies originating from the first half of the [[7th century]], when the [[Unknown Archont]] had fled to the [[Byzantine Emperor]] [[Heraclius]], seeking land for the [[Serbs]]. |
||
[[Image:Marco polo birthhouse.jpg|thumb|left|[[Marco Polo]]'s reported birthplace in modern-day Korčula]] |
[[Image:Marco polo birthhouse.jpg|thumb|left|[[Marco Polo]]'s reported birthplace in modern-day Korčula]] |
||
At first Venetian merchants were willing to pay annual tribute to keep their shipping safe from the |
At first Venetian merchants were willing to pay annual tribute to keep their shipping safe from the [[Pagania|Narentine]] (''Neretvian'') pirates of the [[Dalmatia|Dalmatian]] coast. In [[927]] - [[960]], the island passed on to the unified [[History of Serbia|Serbian Realm]] of [[Prince]] [[Časlav Klonimirović|Ceslav of Klonimir]] of the [[House of Vlastimirović|House of Vlastimir]]. After the Realm's fall, the island was under nominal [[Byzantine Empire|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 either [[Serbian]] or [[Croatian]] [[Principality]], later [[Grand]] [[Principality]] of [[Zahumlje]]. The island was a safe haven during the following struggles, as it was beyond the reach of the [[List of Serbian rulers|Grand Princes]] of [[Rascia]]. |
||
During the [[11th century]], an uprising against the [[Byzantine]] supreme rule in [[Duklja]] by [[Stefan Voislav|Stephen Voislav]], who climed to the Grand Princely throne. His successors [[Mihailo Voislav|Michael]] and [[Constantin Bodin (Peter III)|Constantin Bodin]], all of the same [[Vojislavljević|House of Voislav]] continued the reconstruction of the [[History of Serbia|Serbian Realm]], eventually forming a [[Kingdom]] in [[1077]] which also absorbed Korčula with all of [[Zahumlje]]. The unified realm perished into another feudal anarchy in the dawn of the [[12th century]], after the death of [[List of Serbian rulers|King of Duklja and Dalmatia]] Constantin Bodin in [[1101]], and Korčula thus became again a part of the semi-independent realm of [[Zahumlje]]. |
|||
"Curzola" surrendered to the Hungarians in [[1358]], and was purchased by the Republic of [[Dubrovnik]] ([[1413]]-[[1417]]), and finally declared itself subject to Venice in [[1420]]. In [[1571]] it defended itself so gallantly against the Ottoman Turks at the [[Battle of Lepanto (1571)|Battle of Lepanto]] that it obtained the designation ''Fidelissima'' from the Pope. From [[1776]] to [[1797]] Curzola succeeded ''Lesina'' (''Hvar'') as the main Venetian fortified [[arsenal]] in this region. During the [[Napoleonic wars]] it was ruled successively by Russians, French ([[Illyrian provinces]]) and British, ultimately passing to [[Austria]] in [[1815]]. |
|||
In the ensuing period of struggles for the succession of the [[Serbian]] lands and period of instability in [[Zahumlje]] in [[1125]] - [[1129]], Korčula was conquered by a [[Venetia|Venetian]] [[nobleman]], Pepone Zorzi, and incorporated it into the [[Venetia|Venetian Republic]]. Although, Korčula acted as an independent island further on. |
|||
Korčula was under the Italian occupation in the period [[1918]]-[[1921]], and after that was annexed to Croatia, which was then the part of [[Yugoslavia]]. After fall of second Yugoslavia in [[1990]], Korčula is part of [[Croatia]]. |
|||
The [[Nemanjić|House of Nemanja]] restored control over the Serbian lands since the 1160s, and the Lord of [[Zahumlje]], Miroslav, brother of [[Stefan Nemanja|Stephen Nemanja]], attempted to restore [[Serbian]] control over the island and launched a naval invasion on [[10 August]] [[1184]]. Lord Miroslav's losing war against the Republic of Dubrovnik on the mainland had forced him to abandon the conquest of Korčula. His second brother, Prince Stracimir got the job to lead military forces on the island. The island's inhabitants have hailed the [[Dubrovnik Republic]] for help, which in turn captured all of Stracimir's galleys. Stracimir couldn't control the island population, so he raided it, expecially the fertile western part. After, an agreement was made, in which Korčula would be granted high autonomy if the island's inhabitants help Stracimir's forces to return to the mainland. |
|||
The '''Statute of Korčula''' 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 [[Republic of Dubrovnik|Dubrovnik]] and [[Venetia]]. Captainies were created for each and every one of the 5 island's settlements for organised defence. Korčula had below 2,500 inhabitants back then. |
|||
In [[1221]], [[Pope Honorius III]] gifted the island to the [[Princes]] of [[Krka]] ({Šubić|Šubićs]]). |
|||
In [[1222]], [[Serbian]] [[King]] [[Stefan Prvovenčani|Stephen the First-crowned]] of [[Nemanjić|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. [[Battle of Curzola|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 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 Bonifacio VIII]] finally implaced the Korčula [[Bishopric]] under the [[Archbishopric]] of [[Dubrovnik]]. In [[1333]], as the Republic of Dubrovnik purchased [[Ston]] with [[Pelješac]] from the [[Serbian Empire]], the suzeiranity of Ston's [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] with the penisnular was given to the Bishopric of Korčula. |
|||
"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 [[Venetia|Republic of Venetia]] in [[1420]]. In [[1571]] it defended itself so gallantly against the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] navies at the [[Battle of Lepanto (1571)|Battle of Lepanto]] that it obtained the designation ''Fidelissima'' from the [[Pope]]. From [[1776]] to [[1797]] Curzola succeeded ''[[Hvar|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, Korčula passed on to the [[Habsburg Monarchy]]. The [[History of France|French Empire]] invaded the island in [[1806]], joining it with the [[Illyrian provinces]]. The Montenegrin Forces of [[Prince]]-[[Bishop|Episcope]] [[Petar I Petrović Njegoš|Peter I Njegš]] 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 [[Cisleithania|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, Korčula 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 [[History of Croatia|Croatian Banate]]. During the [[Axis forces|Axis]] occupation of [[Yugoslavia]] in [[1941]] - [[1945]], it was a part of [[Fascist]] [[Italy]]. With the liberation of Yugoslavia in 1945, the [[SFRJ|Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia]] was formed, and Korčula became a part of the [[History of Croatia|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 [[History of Croatia|Socialist Republic of Croatia]]. After [[1991]], the island became a part of the independent [[Croatia|Republic of Croatia]]. |
|||
==Economy== |
==Economy== |
Revision as of 01:12, 13 February 2006
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Korcula_in_croatia.jpg)
Korčula (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 17,038 (2001) inhabitants makes it the most populous Adriatic island.
Korčula 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 / 42.950°N 17.117°E.
Geography
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Korcula_City.jpg/280px-Korcula_City.jpg)
The island of Korčula belongs to the central Dalmatian archipelago, separated from the Pelješac peninsula by a narrow strait of Pelješac, 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 Račišċe, 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 conects Korčula with Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Rijeka and in summer there are direct ferries to Italian Adriatic ports.
Korčula is the most populous Adriatic island with almost 20,000 inhabitants, although their number has slightly dropped between the censuses of 1991 and 2001.
Heritage
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 Korčula'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 Korčula keep alive old folk church ceremonies and a war game(moreška), 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 Korčula the first place in the world to outlaw that practice.
History
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Korcula-east-panoramic.j1.jpg/280px-Korcula-east-panoramic.j1.jpg)
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, Korčula'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 Korčula (Curzola), that protect the river mouth. A painting dated 1800 in the museum at Korčula patriotically represents “The arrival of Croatians at the sea”, 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, a Serbian tribe with Pirateering tendencies originating from the first half of the 7th century, when the Unknown Archont had fled to the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, seeking land for the Serbs.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Marco_polo_birthhouse.jpg/220px-Marco_polo_birthhouse.jpg)
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 the unified Serbian Realm of Prince Ceslav of Klonimir of the House of Vlastimir. After the Realm's fall, 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 either Serbian or Croatian Principality, later Grand Principality of Zahumlje. The island was a safe haven during the following struggles, as it was beyond the reach of the Grand Princes of Rascia.
During the 11th century, an uprising against the Byzantine supreme rule in Duklja by Stephen Voislav, who climed to the Grand Princely throne. His successors Michael and Constantin Bodin, all of the same House of Voislav continued the reconstruction of the Serbian Realm, eventually forming a Kingdom in 1077 which also absorbed Korčula with all of Zahumlje. The unified realm perished into another feudal anarchy in the dawn of the 12th century, after the death of King of Duklja and Dalmatia Constantin Bodin in 1101, and Korčula thus became again a part of the semi-independent realm of Zahumlje.
In the ensuing period of struggles for the succession of the Serbian lands and period of instability in Zahumlje in 1125 - 1129, Korčula was conquered by a Venetian nobleman, Pepone Zorzi, and incorporated it into the Venetian Republic. Although, Korčula acted as an independent island further on.
The House of Nemanja restored control over the Serbian lands since the 1160s, and the Lord of Zahumlje, Miroslav, brother of Stephen Nemanja, attempted to restore Serbian control over the island and launched a naval invasion on 10 August 1184. Lord Miroslav's losing war against the Republic of Dubrovnik on the mainland had forced him to abandon the conquest of Korčula. His second brother, Prince Stracimir got the job to lead military forces on the island. The island's inhabitants have hailed the Dubrovnik Republic for help, which in turn captured all of Stracimir's galleys. Stracimir couldn't control the island population, so he raided it, expecially the fertile western part. After, an agreement was made, in which Korčula would be granted high autonomy if the island's inhabitants help Stracimir's forces to return to the mainland.
The Statute of Korčula 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. Korčula had below 2,500 inhabitants back then.
In 1221, Pope Honorius III gifted the island to the Princes of Krka ({Šubić|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 in1255, 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. 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 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 Bonifacio VIII finally implaced the Korčula Bishopric under the Archbishopric of Dubrovnik. In 1333, as the Republic of Dubrovnik purchased Ston with Pelješac from the Serbian Empire, the suzeiranity of Ston's Roman Catholic Church with the penisnular was given to the Bishopric of Korčula.
"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, Korčula 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 Njegš 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, Korčula 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 Korčula 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.
Economy
Economy is, besides tourism, based on agriculture, cultivation of grape vines and olives, fruit growing, fishing and fish processing and shipbuilding. Summer tourism has a long tradition on the island; nautical tourism has been recently developed.