KorčulaWhere stillness meets beauty

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At First Property Croatia, we believe that life is a mosaic of choices. From our point of view, choosing a place to live or to spend holidays with your family and friends plays an enormous role in overall quality of life, because not all places are the same. With its enchanting natural beauty, abundance of historical and cultural monuments, vibrant, beautiful cities and pleasurable lifestyle, Croatia is one of the few places in the world where all of this beauty can be experienced in such a small territory. If you realized that Croatia is the place you want to spend holidays or the rest of your life, or you just want to enjoy healthier, wealthier life, we will be happy to help you settle

in your new home.

Korcula (Korkyra Melaina) is an island situated next to the Dalmatian coast in the Du-brovnik-Neretva County. With an area of 276 square kilometers it is the sixth largest Croatian island. The island has been inhabited since ancient times, and is known as the birthplace of the world’s greatest traveler, Marco Polo. Three largest settlements on the island are the towns Korcula and Vela Luka and village Blato in the interior.

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As we said earlier, the island has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The oldest ar-tifacts (stone knives from the Neolithic period) were found on the island Badija next to Korcula, and the best studied site is Vela Spila in the town of Vela Luka. In the 6th centu-ry BC the island was inhabited by Greeks, who named it Korkyra Melaina. In 7th century Slavs – Croats came to the shores of Adriatic and founded their own principality, which later grew into kingdom, under whose authority Korcula was. But changes in the states and the empires which Croatia was a part of, and the territory that was under Croatian rule, made Korcula pass from hand to hand to anyone who ruled that part of Dalmatia / Croatia.

Today, when Korcula is a part of the Republic of Croatia, each year brings an increasing number of visitors attracted by a unmatched beauty and charm of this island on the southern Croatia. Korcula has a long-lasting tourism tradition. The first public bathing resort in the town of Korcula was built in 1904, and the first tourist brochure was printed in Vienna in 1914. Health tourism is particularly significant, because of its mild climate, clear waters and healing mud at several locations on the island. With countless beautiful beaches and bays, ancient olive groves and vineyards, historical monuments and nu-merous facilities for active holidays, Korcula can be placed alongside the most popular Croatian destinations like Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split.

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The island of Korcula is also a place of gastronomic delights. While the people lived here modestly for centuries, Korcula’s cuisine offers many delicious and various special-ties. The main ingredients, along with local fruits and vegetables, are domestic olive oil, which is used in all kinds of dishes. Mostly used meat is lamb, goat and mutton, which is, like prosciutto, reserved for special occasions. Fish is much more frequent, whether grilled, fried or boiled, where special place belongs to brodet , boiled fish with vegeta-bles. Brodet is served with polenta, porridge of coarsely ground corn meal. Along with local specialties, a number of domestic wine sorts like Pošip, Plavac, Grk and Rukatac are regularly served.

The town of Korcula is located on the northeastern end of the island, on the penin-sula protruding into Peljesac bay. It is surrounded with towers and walls, which bear the memory of the strategic importance that the city had in control of maritime flows through the bay. Due to geographical, historical and cultural factors, the town of Kor-cula has always been a religious and administrative centre of the island. Town’s and island’s statute from 1331 which regulated life in medieval Korcula is one of the oldest legal documents in this part of Europe. City streets, which have been arranged in the shape of fish bone for air circulation and protection from the wind at the same time, have been preserved to this day and are a feature by which Korcula is recognizable in the world. The finest examples of Korcula residential architecture were created in the 15th and 16th century in the typical Gothic-Renaissance style. In the Old city almost every front of the house is decorated with emblems of Korcula’s nobles, bishops and princes.

St. Mark’s Cathedral is the centre of religious life and the most beautiful Gothic-Roman-esque monument in the city of Korcula. It was built by local and Italian masters, with Master Marko Andric leaving the most significant mark - building the upper portion of the tower and the ciborium over the main altar dedicated to St. Mark, patron of Korcula. Other monuments worth visiting are the City walls, the birth house of Marco Polo, City Hall and the beautiful Franciscan monastery from the 15th century, situated on the is-land of Badija. Also, visits to town’s museums will enrich your experience of this unique city.

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Town of Korčula

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The archipelago near the town of Korcula, consists of twenty picturesque uninhabited islands accessible coastline covered with thick undergrowth: perfect for swimming and relaxing. On the island of Badija, among dense pine forests that extend to the coast, there are beautiful beaches on the northern and southern side of the island. Neighbour-ing Lumbarda, where the best grape clusters of Korcula’s most known wine varieties Grk and Plavac are planted, is home to the beautiful sandy beaches.

A special place in the cultural offer of Korcula belongs to Moreska, battle dance per-formed on Korcula every year since the sixteenth century. Moreska is performed by two groups of dancers who wear red and black uniforms, and the fight for the affec-tion of Bula, fiancée of white king Osman, who was abducted by the Black King Moro. Twelve pairs of “Moreskans” perform dance pieces and fight with swords, accelerating the rhythm of their movements and competing in the art of fencing in seven dance fig-ures, which ends with the victory white king and triumphant lap of his white army.

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This charming town is located in the western part of the island, in the bottom of a wide bay, surrounded with many small coves. Rich cultural heritage, clear sea, mild Mediter-ranean climate, plenty of ways to spend a fulfilled vacation and friendly people make Vela Luka an attractive tourist destination. Vela Luka is known for its talented artists and musicians. Cultural Centre, located in the town centre, consists of a museum, gallery and public library preserve the magnificent heritage of Vela Luka. Vela Luka area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by archaeological findings in Vela Spila on a hillside Pinski Rat above Kala in Vela Luka.

The mild Mediterranean climate and discovery of healing mud contributed to the con-struction of spa Kalos, which has positioned Vela Luka as a health tourism destination. The Most beautiful cove in the world, as often called by its inhabitants truly offers an inexhaustible wealth of natural beauty. The island of Proizd, only thirty minutes away by boat, was named The most beautiful beach the Croatian Adriatic in 2007. It features the unique white beaches and crystal clear, turquoise sea that leaves no one indifferent. Proizd received another award in 2009, when the respected British newspaper The Daily Telegraph placed among the top five most beautiful beaches on the Adriatic. The island of Osjak, only ten minutes away by boat enchants with its untouched nature, clear sea and countless accessible places for sunbathing. Osjak is perfect for a break from every-day life and enjoyment in true purity, richness and beauty of nature.

We believe that we encouraged you to visit this beautiful island, with rich cultural heri-tage and stunning natural beauty. If you are interested in the purchase of land, house or apartment on the island or in the surrounding area, we invite you to contact us. We will gladly help you find your perfect Korcula home.

Vela Luka