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, 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 .
• Omi?alj (Italian: Castelmuschio; German: Moschau): 2,998 people
• Malinska-Duba?nica (Italian: Malinsca; German: Durischal): 2,726 people
• Punat (Italian: Ponte; German: Sankt Maria): 1,876 people
• Dobrinj (Italian: Dobrigno; German: Dobrauen): 1,970 people
• Ba?ka (Italian: Besca; German: Weschke): 1,554 people
• Vrbnik (Italian: Verbenico; German: Vörbnick): 1,245 people

Boachen - Gabonjin Krassitz - Kra?ica Sankt Anton - Anton Sankt Foska - Pinezi?i 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 meter two-arch concrete bridge since 1980, one of the longest concrete bridges in the world. Due to the proximity to the city of Rijeka, Omi?alj 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 Ko?ljun 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 Ba?ka 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 Bozani?: Mahni? i njegova Staroslavenska akademija. Krk u. Rijeka 2002.

Sources and external links

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

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