Korčula Island is one of the most popular island destinations in Croatia and in the world.
One of the reasons is the fact that it is second most inhabited Croatia island which makes it a vibrant community of local population but also many foreigners who in increasing numbers, choose to make the island of Korcula their home. During the summer season, the number of people on the island increases several times, and the island of Korcula welcomes it's visitors with open arms, eager to show and share all of its cultural, gastronomical and historical heritage, that has accumulated on this island over thousands of years of uninterrupted development. The island was inhabited in prehistoric times, and there are many archaeological sites that show this. The development of the western civilization began with the arrival of Greeks in the area of , which were followed by Romans and finally Croats who embraced this island as their home and developed it to what it is today, a pearl in the crown of . Korcula is 6th larges Croatian island, with three most important towns on the island - , the largest and the main traffic, cultural and economical hub on the island today, the town of in the interior of the island which through the history was the larges and the most important town on the island, and the town of located on the western tip of the island of Korcula, the main port of the island on which the rest of the island depended for the exports of agricultural produce, which were the most important source of income for local population, together with fishing and shipbuilding.
Throughout it's history, the island of Korcula has always been important hub for commerce, culture and architecture, opened towards the sea and new ideas that came with it. The town of Korcula is the birth place of the famous world traveler Marco Polo, who expanded the minds and the imagination of medieval Europe with his stories that he brought from the far east, and some even argue that he was the first one to plan the seed of Renaissance in the Europe. He started the search for far away lands and inspired many famous explorers like Cristophor Columbus to discover new worlds. In the town of Korcula the birth house of Marco Polo with a small museum is opened for visitors.
