MADRID SHIGERU BAN - DalCasa

most powerful force in the Adriatic at the time, while the
coast and the continent were dominated by Illyrians. After
the Romans took over the eastern Adriatic coast, the
infl uence of Issa and Illyrians weakens, and the island of
Korčula becomes a part of Roman province Dalmatia
at the turn of the millennium.
Town Korčula has immediately imposed itself as the centre
of the island due to its exceptional strategic position
that controlled the ancient nautical path and the chan-
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dc ADVENTURE
Korčula in the
Heart of Dalmatia
Every town on the eastern Adriatic coast is a
separate story that is guaranteed to be original
and unique, but that history also stands as
a fragment of the joint history of Croatia and
Dalmatia during the past centuries. The same
can be said of the town Korčula on the island
of the same name. It is a town with an interesting history,
exceptional urbanism and quality architecture, and it’s
fair to say that town Korčula refl ects a smaller image of
the overall story of Dalmatia. Although this Adriatic pearl
has mostly served as part of the summer tourism experience
over the last several decades, Korčula should primarily
be experienced as a trip through the course of
history with clear demonstration of the urban and construction
heritage of this part of the Mediterranean.
The Town’s Strategic Position
The earliest traces of civilization on this island date back
to ancient history, but the fi rst settlements were started
by ancient Greeks around 600 BC. The island was then
colonized by the Greeks from Issa (Vis), who stood as the
Urbanism, conception and the shape of town
Korčula were formed back in the early stage of
the Middle Ages, as a fortified town was built
on a strategic position on the island in the finest
tradition of that era’s urbanism. The blueprint
clearly shows the shape of a fish bone
with a very strict composition of the main and
sideway streets
Written by: Leo Nikoliæ
Photo: Lupino