From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Krk

Bašćanska Draga
Geography
Location	Adriatic sea
Coordinates	45°4′N 14°36′E / 45.067°N 14.6°E / 45.067; 14.6Coordinates: 45°4′N 14°36′E / 45.067°N 14.6°E / 45.067; 14.6
Area	405.78 km²
Highest point	Obzova (568 m)
Country
Croatia
County	Primorje-Gorski Kotar
Largest city	Krk (pop. 5,491)
Demographics
Population	17,860 (as of 2001)
Density	44 /km2 (110 /sq mi)

Krk (Italian: Veglia, German: Vegl, Latin: Curicta) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county.

Krk is, together with Cres, the largest Adriatic island, with an area of 405.78 km² (156.67 sq mi), and also the most populous one, with numerous towns and villages totalling 17,860 (2001). Although recent student surveys pointed that Cres is the largest Croatian island, most recent official data show they are the same size.

Towns

The municipalities and larger settlements on Krk include:

• The eponymous city of Krk, with 5,491 inhabitants (2001), located at 45°13′N 14°32′E / 45.217°N 14.533°E / 45.217; 14.533.
• Omišalj (Italian: Castelmuschio; German: Moschau): 2,998 people
• Malinska-Dubašnica — Malinska, the capital of municipality (Italian: Malinsca; German: Durischal): 2,726 people
• Punat (Italian: Ponte; German: Sankt Maria): 1,876 people
• Dobrinj (Italian: Dobrigno; German: Dobrauen): 1,970 people
• Baška (Italian: Besca; German: Weschke): 1,554 people
• Vrbnik (Italian: Verbenico; German: Vörbnick): 1,245 people

Boachen - Gabonjin Krassitz - Krašica Sankt Anton - Anton Sankt Foska - Pinezići Sankt Maria - Glavotok Sankt Niklas - Valbiska Sniewitz - Njivice

Economics and infrastructure

Krk detail.

Krk Bridge.

Town of Krk.

Vrbnik.

Krk is located rather near the mainland and has been connected to it via a 1,430 m (4,692 ft) two-arch concrete bridge since 1980, one of the longest concrete bridges in the world. Due to the proximity to the city of Rijeka, Omišalj also hosts the Rijeka International Airport as well as an oil refinery (related to the Rijeka port tanker facilities). A monastery lies on the small island of Košljun in a bay off the coast of Krk.

Krk is a popular tourist destination, because of the situation and proximity to Slovenia, southern Germany, Austria, and northern Italy. Since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, many tourists have appeared from Hungary, Romania, and other former Eastern Bloc countries.

History

The island has been inhabited since before 10th century BCE. The Romans called the island Curicta. During the Roman Civil War, the Bay of Curicta was the scene of sea combat between the fleets of Caesar and Pompey.

Over a thousand years later, the island was the center of the Vegliot dialect of the Dalmatian language. Krk was also the seat of medieval bishops and important nobility, the Frankopans.

Culture and religion

Krk has historically been a center of Croatian culture. Various literature in Glagolitic alphabet was created and in part preserved on Krk (notably the Baška tablet, the oldest preserved text in Croatian).

Krk belonged to the Republic of Venice during the Middle Ages until its dissolution, when its destinies followed those of Dalmatia. It became part of the kingdom SHS, later Yugoslavia, after World War I, in 1920. After that date, the village of Veglia/Krk remained the only predominantly Italian-speaking municipality in Yugoslavia. After WWII, most of the Italians left.

Catholic bishopric

Other

The fictional island Everon from the video game Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis is based on Krk.

Further reading

• Anton Bozanić: Mahnić i njegova Staroslavenska akademija. Krk u. Rijeka 2002.

Sources and external links

• Krk official site (tourist board)
• Tourist destinations on Krk
• Krk Travelguide
• Pictures Krk
• Krk travel guide from Wikitravel
• Geographical and meteorological data, Statistical yearbook 2006., DZS
• Virtual Tour of Krk

From Wikitravel

Krk is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea.

• Omišalj
• Njivice
• Malinska
• Town Krk
• Punat
• Baška
• Vrbnik
• Dobrinj
• Šilo
• Klimno
• Čižići
• Soline
• Porat
• Vrh
• Glavotok
• Vantačići

Understand

The “golden island”, as the island of Krk has been called since ancient times, is the nearest island to western Europe. The latitude of the island is 45° and the longitude is 14°35'. We do not consider it an island so much anymore because it has been connected with mainland since 1980 a 1400m long bridge made of reinforced concrete. Krk has approximately 16500 year round inhabitants in seventy different settlements.

The island Krk has many different landscapes . The north part of the island is almost bare because of the strong wind called “bura”, while the southernpart abounds with greenness and gentle bays. Inland, rocky hills alternate with fertile fields.This sort of relief favorably provides for the cultivation of grapes and the production of the well-known wine “Vrbnička Žlahtina.”

If you can't visit the island Krk during the summer, come in spring or autumn. If the weather is nice, you can have a swim in the sea in June, September and October. There are some (brave ones) who swim from April to November

Talk

Croatian. But many local people speak Italian, English and German.

Get in

You can reach Krk by land, sea and by air because there is also an airport (Rijeka airport) which can handle large and small planes. The island doesn't have a railway. The nearest railway station is in Rijeka, only 30 km from Krk. There are daily trains to and from Italy, Austria, Germany and Hungary. Rijeka also has daily coach lines which connects all European points such as Munich, Zurich, Trieste, etc. If you like boat rides you can also reach Rijeka by ferry and one of the safe harbours of the island in your own boat. You can leave your boat during the winter in Marina Punat or in other marinas offering dry storage. For the sake of orientation, here are some rough distances for those who prefer coming by car:

München ~ 600 km, Wien ~ 500 km, Budapest ~ 600 km, Praha ~ 800 km, Bratislava ~ 600 km, Trieste ~ 100 km, Milano ~ 550 km, Ljubljana ~ 150 km, Zagreb ~ 200 km

Get around

There is a bus public transport but not very often. The best way to get around is in the car. Krk is diverse island and it is worth exploring. It is possible to hire a car or a scooter on the island.

• In the woods, lovers of nature and hunting can come across the fox, roe-buck, wild cat and marten while there are also some birds like the snipe, wild duck, griffon vulture and several other types.

• On the island Krk there are several dozen marked tourist paths which lead through the woods and by the sea shore. There are printed guides available at any tourist ofice. The underwater world around the island of Krk is very interesting, and there are several local and international diving clubs. You can get a diving licence at the local harbor master's office. You need to present your passport, your diving qualification and pay a fee. To fill bottles you need to contact one of the diving clubs.

• Of all the summer recreation sports, the most interesting ones are watersports. Those particulary attractive are paragliding, waterskiing and jet skis.

Eat

Cheese, domestic prosciutto (pršut), seafood, barbecued lamb

Drink

Domestic vine "Vrbnička žlahtina"

• [1] - great dining in Malinska