The town of Korcula is situated at the northeastern end of the island, was erected along its indented coastline. The old town on a small oval peninsula, the Baroque suburb under the old walls, and new parts of the stretch along the coast east and west of the old center. Today the city has about 3000 inhabitants, most of them living in new neighborhoods. The city is the seat of administration of the Town of Korcula, which includes part of the island and five villages, apart from Korcula, Žrnovo, Pupnat, Cara and Račišće, with about 6000 inhabitants.
Korcula has many social, cultural, economic, health organizations and institutions: kindergarten, elementary and secondary school (gymnasium), a museum, library, health, travel agencies, banks, pharmacies, hotels, shipyards, shops, restaurants and etc. It also has cultural and artistic societies that foster choral singing, folk dancing, and sports associations.
The first data on a medieval city on the island of Korcula brings Byzantine historian and the emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in the 10th century writing about the "walled city". There are many indications that this city was the site of today's old town of Korcula. However, the remnants of architecture from that time of Romanesque been found. What remains of the old city walls, decorations, and most archival documents it is undisputed that at this point in the 13th century, but there is a walled town, set squares and streets, churches, public buildings and houses. Old houses were one story, rarely two, built of rough stone or in the dry, unadorned. Similar to other buildings, churches, lodges and other public buildings. Therefore, early 15th century the city was completely reconstructed and then, unless the identical location of certain objects none of.
In the second half of the 14th century in Korcula strongly developing stone, thanks primarily to the needs of Dubrovnik masters for capstone. They came in Korcula, vrničke quarries, and with the help of local workers stone intended for Dubrovnik. Thus, the 15th of Korcula century gradually almost completely transformed from a humble village into a city with character and style. Housing construction followed the public. First, the new cathedral was built, then the other churches, walls, etc. to 15 century was a period of intense building activity when in a relatively short time the city changed completely. In the early 16th century, until then not been renewed house got Renaissance ornaments. This is a real time "polishing": tiled with squares and streets, were placed on buildings emblems, decorative columns, but the old core of preserved Gothic stamp.
In the following centuries, the baroque 17th and 18, building and stone industry in decline due to the severe economic conditions in Venice, as reflected in areas under its jurisdiction. Houses were built a bit of baroque building, but several summer houses and houses in the suburbs that the craft of stone had not died.
Soon the suburb (Borgo) became the center of city life and work. This was where shops, most of craftsmen, and very quickly in this part of the city to other social and public life. At the same time the old core has fewer residents: dilapidated buildings are not repaired: people prefer to build new houses along the shore near his workshop. In the first half of the 19th century until the Second. World War Korcula is a provincial town that slowly begins to turn to tourism. Then build a few small hotels and summer houses near the city.
After II. World War II establishment of the shipyard industry, there is need for a large number of apartments for its workers, and to raise new residential areas east and west on the slopes above the coast, then the larger hotels, public buildings, new banks, roads, marinas. In the old part of town to repair damaged or dilapidated houses for the purposes of housing and public uses, for example. museums and the like.
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