Ćorić Tower (Ćorić kula)

Ćorić Tower (Ćorić kula) is a fortified stone tower in the town of Vodice, on the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia, in Croatia, a few kilometres north-west of Šibenik. Vodice today is a busy summer resort with a marina and a lively waterfront, but the tower belongs to an earlier time, when the coast was a frontier and a sudden raid could arrive from the land or the sea. In the 16th century, as the Ottoman Empire pressed against the Venetian possessions in Dalmatia, wealthy families built strong towers where they could shelter with their dependants and their goods, and Ćorić kula is one of these.

Local tradition dates the tower to 1533, and the date is one of the details recorded about it. It is a compact, solid building of local limestone, with thick walls, small openings and an overall form meant to withstand attack rather than to impress. Towers of this type typically had a ground floor for storage, upper floors for living and a flat or battlemented top from which the surrounding fields and the sea could be watched. A coat of arms with the initials H S is visible on the building and points to its early owners. As time passed and the threat from raiders faded, the tower changed hands and uses several times, serving at one point as the residence of a noble family connected with Šibenik, and it has been a part of Vodice's streets ever since.

Today the tower is best seen from the outside, and it does not operate as a museum with fixed opening hours or tickets. It stands on Ulica Mirka Zore, a short walk from the centre of town, so it can be included in a stroll that also takes in the parish church, the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet (Crkva sv. Ilije Proroka) and the Trg Sv. Križa square. Vodice Town Center and the ACI Marina Vodice are close by. The tower is a quiet counterpoint to the cafés and boats of the harbour, and a good place to stop for a few minutes to imagine how the town looked when it was a small fortified village.

It suits history enthusiasts, photographers and travellers who like to look beyond the beach. The light is especially good in the late afternoon, when the warm stone glows against the sky. If you want more information about access, the local tourist office in Vodice can advise on what is open and when.