Korcula is a small town, that "sits on a peninsula dangling off the island of the same name".
In a few hours you can walk up and down and round about
and see all its charms! A lovely surprising cruise day.
Most people have never heard of this tiny town on the island with the same name. It is not far north of Dubrovnik, and is a bit similar, but in miniature. Small ships can dock on the west side of the town and larger cruise ships will anchor and tender in.
The pronunciation of Korcula seems to depend on who you ask! It is either Kor' cula or Kor' chula with strong emphasis on the first syllable. If someone knows for sure, let me know!
Like most of the small towns in this part of the world, Korcula changed rulers many times over the years. The wall surrounding the town was not enough to prevent being overtaken by the powerful invaders.
The Walks
The walks are simple! It is impossible to get lost, for at any time you are no more than a couple of blocks from the sea.
When you get off the ship or your tender, walk to your right towards the big round tower (below). The main entrance (the land gate) to the town faces the land and is in the center of the wall at the back of the town, for strategic reasons, I'm sure. Go around the tower and follow the town wall to the entrance.
Beside right shows the land gate entrance. Go up the stairs and through a gate in the tower to enter the town.
Below is the view back towards the gate from inside.
There was once a drawbridge and a moat where there is now a terrace.
Google Earth
Daniel Ortmann, Korcula gate, CC BY-SA 2.5
For the first part of the walk, go straight. This takes you through the center of the town.
The picture on the right is a little further up the street. The church is on the left and the town hall on the right. The balcony is where the mayor stands to give speeches.
Of course, it is almost impossible to walk to the end of the street without getting lured down the small side streets. Here are some that lured my friends and me. The sea is at the end of each little street.
There is an interesting story about Korcula! The house with the tower below on the center street of the town is said to be the birthplace of Marco Polo. History says that he was born in Venice, but as Korcula was ruled by the Venetians at that time, the 'theft of heritage' may have some possible validity. A mayor of Korcula proclaimed Marco Polo as their own - perhaps for advertising and promotion. At any rate, we were shown the house and the tower where the young boy would (perhaps) stand to watch the sea in hopes of his father's return from Asia. He didn't meet his father until he was 15.
The second part of the walk is to stroll around the sea wall of the town. The Adriatic Sea is brilliant, and as Korcula is almost circular, you will get lovely views in three directions. We began the walk by walking to the opposite side from where we landed. There is a wide street and shade trees all along this side of the town.
The sea is of varying shades of blue, from light turquoise to cobalt. Near the shore are sea urchins, so unless a beach has been cleared of them, swimming is not recommended in Croatia! The urchins can be seen in the picture below.
As you continue around the street/path above the town wall, there are fascinating street and path entrances into the town.
At the outermost edge the path narrows and you walk by a tower on the town wall.
On the west side is the 'sea gate'. It has an impressive design, with the sweeping staircase and terrace, but the entrance is very small - again for strategic reasons.
The west side also gives great sea views, and when you reach the big tower, there is a nice walk along the sea wall. The town outside the walls was not built until the mid-1800s.
I hope you are lucky enough to see Korcula on your voyage!
All photos are by Jean, unless otherwise labeled.