Introduction & History
Local legend says that Prince Antenor of Troy founded the Korcula settlement. It is interesting to mention that Marco Polo, the famous adventurer, was born on Korcula, and his house can still be viewed there. There is also a British connection with the island: the late Fitzroy Maclean, the Scottish politician, soldier, adventurer and writer, had a house there (still used by his family today). It was given to him personally by President Tito and was the only house owned by a foreigner in the former Yugoslavia until Croatian independence.

After the Venetian Empire fell in 1797, the island of Korcula came under the control of various empires and countries - France, Russia and even Britain (1813 - 1815). The British, led by Commander Peter Lowen, undertook significant building projects including building a huge fortress on the hill above Korcula Town.

During World War II, the island fell to the Italians (in 1941), before the Germans occupied the island in Decemeber 1943. The town of Korcula was severely bombed by the Allies, which destroyed most of the important buildings there.

The Island
The sixth largest island, it is 20 miles long and rather narrow, between 4 and 5 miles wide on average. This island is known for its dense forest and the ancient Greeks called the island Black Korcula (Kerkyra melaina) for this reason.

The main resorts are Korcula Town (people call it "Little Dubrovnik" because of its medieval squares, churches, palaces and houses), Vela Luka and Lumbarda.

Getting There
There are daily ferry and catamaran services from Split to Vela Luka. The ferry takes 3 hours, the catamaran 1 hour 45 minutes (both usually stop at Hvar Town along the way).

There is also a several times a week ferry from Split to Korcula Town - this takes 5 hours 40 minutes. This is in fact part of the coastal route that starts in Rijeka and ends in Dubrovnik (or, in fact, goes on to Bari in Italy) so you can also reach Korcula from either of these two!

See the Jadrolinija website for timetable details.

Accommodation
There are many hotels throughout the island, in Vela Luka, Korcula Town and Lumbarda. Private accommodation is also plentiful. See Accommodation on Korcula.

Tourist Offices
Vela Luka Tourist Office at Ulica 41 br. 11, 20270 Vela Luka, Tel: 020 813 619, Fax: 020 813 619, Email: tzo-vela-luka@du.tel.hr

More information
Accommodation on Korcula
New hostel, The Korcula Backpacker
Korcula.net
InfoKorcula.net
KorculaInfo.com
Korcula.info