The rich historical heritage of the town of Krk – the first part

Life in Krk has been ongoing for over 2000 years. At the time of the Bronze Age, in today’s area of ​​the old town, we find an Illyrian tribe Liburne who founded the city and built its stone walls.

The first written sources on the town’s name point to the name Kiriatika, which comes from the Illyrian name Karik and means a stone island, as evidenced by the stone slab from IV. century with the inscription “splendissima civitas Curictarum”, that is, the curious city of Kurikta.

The Roman period in the town of Krk was marked by city walls, remnants of the period and mosaics, the remains of the Venetian Temple and numerous stone slabs. The Romans changed the name of the town to Vecla, that is, the Old Town, and from there comes the later Venetian name of the town and the island of Veglia. At the transition from VI. to VII. century came the Slavs – the Croats who built the other castles on the island while the Romans retreated inside the walls. They called the island and the town of Krk “Veja”, which is still a popular name for the town today. In 1000 BC, Krk comes under Venetian rule. The Venetians handed over the administration to the Krk’s wealthiest family who became known as the dukes of Krk. They built the courtroom and Kaštel at Kamplin square, which we will describe in more detail in the recent history of Krk.