Krk (town)

Summary

Krk (Italian: Veglia, Chakavian: Velja) is the main settlement of the island of Krk, Croatia.

Krk
Grad Krk
Town of Krk
Krk old town
Krk old town
Krk is located in Krk
Krk
Krk
Location of Krk in Croatia
Krk is located in Croatia
Krk
Krk
Krk (Croatia)
Coordinates: 45°01′N 14°34′E / 45.017°N 14.567°E / 45.017; 14.567
Country Croatia
County Primorje-Gorski Kotar
IslandKrk
Government
 • MayorDarijo Vasilić (PGS)
 • City Council
15 members
Area
 • Town107.1 km2 (41.4 sq mi)
 • Urban
18.4 km2 (7.1 sq mi)
Elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Town6,816
 • Density64/km2 (160/sq mi)
 • Urban
3,935
 • Urban density210/km2 (550/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
51 500
Area code051
Vehicle registrationRI
Websitegrad-krk.hr

Characteristics edit

It is located on the southwest coast of the island and is the historical seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Krk.

The city is ancient, being among the oldest in the Adriatic Sea. It has been continuously inhabited since ancient times including the Illyrians and later the Romans, and was once part of the Byzantine Theme Dalmatia after the Western Roman Empire had fallen to the barbarians.

Roman ruins can be seen today in some parts of the town, for example mosaics in the houses. The city had also preserved many medieval fortifications, including Frankopan Castle close to the Kamplin park, and part of the city walls built during the five centuries when the Republic of Venice ruled the city.

The main square of the old city is called Kamplin: which is derived from the Latin word "campus", meaning field. During Roman times, a training area was located here close to the thermal Roman spas. The remnants of the temple columns at the square gives witness to a large building from Roman times.

In the 13th century one of the "cadet branches" of the aristocratic Italian Frangipani family settled in the city and gave rise to the Croatian family of the Frankopan. Krk was the last Croatian island to be occupied by the Venetians. Krk and surrounding area were known for large use of glagoljica. In the 19th century the city was center of the Illyrian movement.

The city was once known for its unique Romance language called Vegliotic (one of the two main branches of the extinct Dalmatian language), which was spoken until the early 19th century. There was a large Italian community in the city, but Italy eventually gave up the island in favor of Yugoslavia in 1921 (when the city was officially called Krk for the first time), and many of its Italian-speaking residents subsequently left for Istria and Italy.

The city was temporarily occupied by D'Annunzio in 1921 and twenty years later was integrated into the Italian Province of Fiume between 1941 and 1943. Yugoslav Partisans liberated the city in 1944.

There it is still a small indigenous Italian community, represented within the "Unione Italiana" of Croatia.

Demographics edit

Town of Krk: Population trends 1857–2021
population
3118
3427
3531
3874
3902
4173
3937
4184
4104
4045
3633
3586
3982
4997
5491
6281
6816
18571869188018901900191019211931194819531961197119811991200120112021
Sources: Croatian Bureau of Statistics publications

Settlements edit

Administratively, the town of Krk comprises 15 settlements. Each of them is listed below, with their respective population as of 2021.[2]

Culture edit

  • City of Krk culture centre (Centar za kulturu Grada Krka), founded in 1995[3]
  • City library Krk (Gradska knjižnica Krk), founded in 1990[4]
  • International summer school of Croatian language and culture, organised by Faculty of Croatian Studies[5]

Gallery edit

References edit

  1. ^ Register of spatial units of the State Geodetic Administration of the Republic of Croatia. Wikidata Q119585703.
  2. ^ a b "Population by Age and Sex, by Settlements, 2021 Census". Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022.
  3. ^ "Centar za kulturu Grada Krka" (in Croatian). City of Krk. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Gradska knjižnica Krk" (in Croatian). City of Krk. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  5. ^ "U gradu Krku krenula Međunarodna ljetna škola hrvatskoga jezika i kulture" (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.

External links edit

  • Cultural Monuments
  • Krk (town) official Website
  • Krk (town) Tourist Board