Vela Luka
Encyclopedia
Vela Luka is a small town and a municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County
in southern Dalmatia
, Croatia
. The town is located on the western side of the island of Korčula
at the bottom of a wide bay which has many indented coves. Vela Luka developed at the beginning of the 19th century in a deep sheltered bay. Its name means "big harbour" in Croatian
chakavian. Inhabitants of the Island of Korčula and Pelješac
often refer to it simply as "Luka" (the port/harbour). It has several hotels and a medical centre called Kalos (for rheumatic disorders & rehabilitation). The inhabitants are farmers, fishermen and workers in tourism. The town has a shipyard called Greben and other smaller industrial plants.
make up an absolute majority with 97.58% of the population .
In 2011. total population of Vela Luka (not including Potirna where 22 poeple is living, mostly from Vela Luka) was 4130.
The museum/gallery is decorated with mosaics made in 1968 when the International Artist's Meeting of Painters was held in Vela Luka.
Vela Luka has many archeological and architectural points of interest. On the south slope of the hill, Pinski Rat, there is an extraordinary archaeological site. It is called Vela Spila
(Big Cave) and it is one of the most important prehistoric cave dwellings in Europe
. Vela Spila http://www.apartments-vela-luka.com/vela-spila.asp provides a picture of life on the Mediterranean of Mesolithic
and Neolithic
people living in that region. Carbon dating has shown that there was human activity going back 20 000 years. The finds are on display at the Center for Culture in Vela Luka. The cave's interior measures approximately 1500 sq. meters and it is located several hundred meters above the beautiful Vela Luka Bay. Another panoramic view of the area can been seen from Hum Hill and the Forteca, an Austro-Hungarian fortress built in 19th century. Vela Luka has a rich history of Klape singing (an acappella style). One of the best known is the Klapa Ošjak.
The following is on display in the museum and the gallery:
The island of Korčula is known for its numerous chivalrous dance tournament unions http://www.korcula.net/grad/sword/festival.htm. The tournaments are performed on many different occasions and some incorporate the use of swords. On March 19th 2001 the feast of St. Joseph was celebrated as the day of the community of Vela Luka. This was exactly 75 years after the first celebration of the tournament “Kumpanija
”. Thanks to the members of the town's council, the hardworking and persisting practise of about twenty young men of Vela Luka, the tradition continues today. The FD “Kumpanija” is a celebrated as the day of the community for Vela Luka. Saint Joseph
is the patron Saint of the town.
Vela Luka's chivalrous dance tournaments festival activity:
Dubrovnik-Neretva County
The Dubrovnik–Neretva County is the southernmost Croatian county located in south Dalmatia. The county seat is Dubrovnik and other large towns are Korčula, Metković, Opuzen and Ploče...
in southern Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. The town is located on the western side of the island of Korčula
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
at the bottom of a wide bay which has many indented coves. Vela Luka developed at the beginning of the 19th century in a deep sheltered bay. Its name means "big harbour" in Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
chakavian. Inhabitants of the Island of Korčula and Pelješac
Pelješac
Pelješac is a peninsula in southern Dalmatia in Croatia. The peninsula is part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and is the second largest peninsula in Croatia...
often refer to it simply as "Luka" (the port/harbour). It has several hotels and a medical centre called Kalos (for rheumatic disorders & rehabilitation). The inhabitants are farmers, fishermen and workers in tourism. The town has a shipyard called Greben and other smaller industrial plants.
Population
According to the 2001 census, Vela Luka has population of 4,380. CroatsCroats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
make up an absolute majority with 97.58% of the population .
In 2011. total population of Vela Luka (not including Potirna where 22 poeple is living, mostly from Vela Luka) was 4130.
Additional information
It has an average of over 2500 hours of sunny weather annually, and is the second largest place, in size, on the Adriatic islands. The diversity and richness of the cultural inheritance of Vela Luka can be seen in the exceptional museums and galleries that are located in the Center for Culture in the town center. The Center for Culture is located in the building that was constructed for school needs in the second half of the 19th century, so the building itself has historical significance. It is located near the Parish Church of St. Joseph. Together they create a magnificent urban structure in the typical Mediterranean spirit.The museum/gallery is decorated with mosaics made in 1968 when the International Artist's Meeting of Painters was held in Vela Luka.
Vela Luka has many archeological and architectural points of interest. On the south slope of the hill, Pinski Rat, there is an extraordinary archaeological site. It is called Vela Spila
Vela Spila
Vela Spila is a cave situated above the town of Vela Luka on the island of Korčula, in Croatia. Located above Pinski Rat at an elevation of approximately 130 metres. The cave consists of an elliptically shaped cavern that measures 40 metres in length, 17 metres in height, and is approximately 40...
(Big Cave) and it is one of the most important prehistoric cave dwellings in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Vela Spila http://www.apartments-vela-luka.com/vela-spila.asp provides a picture of life on the Mediterranean of Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
and Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
people living in that region. Carbon dating has shown that there was human activity going back 20 000 years. The finds are on display at the Center for Culture in Vela Luka. The cave's interior measures approximately 1500 sq. meters and it is located several hundred meters above the beautiful Vela Luka Bay. Another panoramic view of the area can been seen from Hum Hill and the Forteca, an Austro-Hungarian fortress built in 19th century. Vela Luka has a rich history of Klape singing (an acappella style). One of the best known is the Klapa Ošjak.
The following is on display in the museum and the gallery:
- The Archeological Collection of finds from the historical locality of the Big Cave and antique finds (ceramicCeramicA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
dishes, animal & human bones, antique amphoraAmphoraAn amphora is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body...
) - The International Art Collection of drawings, graphic arts, and smaller statues from local artists (Edo MurtićEdo MurticEdo Murtić was a painter from Croatia, best known for his lyrical abstraction and abstract expressionism style. He worked in a variety of media, including oil painting, gouache, graphic design, ceramics, mosaics, murals and theatrical set design...
, Picelj, Ujevic) and foreign artists (SotoSotoSōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
, HayerHayerHayer also spelled as Hayre or Haer is a Jatt clan found in India and Pakistan in the region of Punjab. This article concerns the historical clan.-History and origin:...
, Messagier), - Two sculptures by Henry MooreHenry MooreHenry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
, - A Collection of ship models by Nedo Gugić,
- The Ethnographic Collection of objects from the El ShattEl ShattThe El Shatt was a complex of World War II refugee camps in the desert of the Sinai peninsula, in Egypt. Residents lived there from the summer of 1944 to the beginning of 1946. The region of Dalmatia was evacuated by the Allies, ahead of a German invasion in 1944...
Refugee Camp http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6189; - Folk costumes from Vela Luka.
The island of Korčula is known for its numerous chivalrous dance tournament unions http://www.korcula.net/grad/sword/festival.htm. The tournaments are performed on many different occasions and some incorporate the use of swords. On March 19th 2001 the feast of St. Joseph was celebrated as the day of the community of Vela Luka. This was exactly 75 years after the first celebration of the tournament “Kumpanija
Moreška
Moreška is a traditional sword dance from the town of Korčula, on the Croatian island of the same name in the Adriatic. Dating back hundreds of years, the Moreška is an elaborate production involving two groups of dancers, engaging in a mock battle over the fate of a veiled young woman...
”. Thanks to the members of the town's council, the hardworking and persisting practise of about twenty young men of Vela Luka, the tradition continues today. The FD “Kumpanija” is a celebrated as the day of the community for Vela Luka. Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
is the patron Saint of the town.
Vela Luka's chivalrous dance tournaments festival activity:
- On July 4th there is the international festival of chivalrous dance tournaments in KorculaKorcula (town)Korčula is a historic fortified town on the protected east coast of the island of Korčula in the Adriatic. It is geographically located at 42°57′N, 17°07′E.-Population:...
, - On September 2nd on Sunday there are events in DubrovnikDubrovnikDubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, - Chivalrous festival tournament in MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
-SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(organize by Consulate of Croatia & town council of AlicanteAlicanteAlicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
).
Notable people from Vela Luka
- Šime Vučetić (1909-1987), writer
- Perica VlašićPerica VlašićPerica Vlašić was a Croatian rower who competed for Yugoslavia at the 1956 Summer Olympics and at the 1960 Summer Olympics...
(1932-2004), rower - Danijel Dragojević (born 1934), writer
- Izvor Oreb (born 1946), painter, sculptor and poet
- Oliver DragojevićOliver DragojevicOliver Dragojević is one of the most popular Croatian pop singers. A native of Vela Luka from the island of Korčula, he emerged onto the music scene in the 1970s thanks to the popular Split Festival, one of several musical annual events which began in the former Yugoslavia and still is being held...
(born 1947), singer - Jasna Zlokić (born 1955), singer