The town of Korčula is a tourist, cultural and economical centre of the island of Korčula, built on a small peninsula out of the first-rate Korčula stone that comes from the islet of Vrnik (many public buildings were built out of that stone – Aia Sofia in Istanbul and the White House in Washington). The town of Korčula is one of the best preserved medieval towns in the Mediterranean.
The Statute of Korčula from 1214 is one of the oldest in Europe. The town is famous for its traditional dance of knights which was once spread over the Mediterranean but today it is preserved only in Korčula. The inhabitants dance “Moreška” for 400 years. Moreška comes from Spain – it is a dynamic war dance with swords, performed each year on Juy 29th when St. Tudor is celebrated, as well as during the tourist season. The dance is performed to commemorate the Turkish attacks on Korčula, and it is one of tourist atractions.
Processions for All Saints, St. Rocco and St. Michael, in which three fraternities take part, are also famous. The best one takes place during the evening on Good Friday where they carry big and small candles while walking around the old part of the town. The cuisine is known for traditional cakes, “cukarini”, “kroštule”, “prikle”... You must also see the Town walls and fortresses that encircle the town and that were built in medieval times, the central St. Mark square on which the St. Mark Cathedral stands (from the 15th century), the Gabrielli palace (a town musem), the birth house of Marco Polo. There are also numerous monuments, museum collections, sacral buildings and galleries.
The most popular swimming places (besides the town beaches) are bays Srečica, Banja and Vrbovica.