Krk Town Walls and Gates

The town walls of Krk are among the best preserved on the Croatian coast, and they enclose the old town of Krk, the historic capital of the island, on the land side and along the sea. Only the famous walls of Ston and Dubrovnik are generally said to be more extensive, and the circuit at Krk, though much less visited, gives a good picture of how a small Adriatic town defended itself over many centuries. The walls follow the outline of the old town, a compact oval around the cathedral and the main square, and parts of them form the backdrop of the harbour promenade.

The history of the fortifications is long. The oldest parts are thought to date from before the Roman period, perhaps from the fourth or third century before the common era, when the Liburnian inhabitants protected their hilltop settlement, and the Romans rebuilt and extended the defences of their town, Curicum, as shown by a stone inscription from the first century before the common era that records building work. Medieval documents mention the repair and strengthening of the walls, and in the fifteenth century, when the town was under Venetian rule and the Ottoman threat was growing, a major renovation was ordered by the Venetian governor, giving the walls much of their present appearance. By the seventeenth century, with changes in warfare and the end of the main danger, the walls lost their military importance and were gradually adapted to other uses.

The circuit had four gates, each originally defended by a tower, as shown on a map of the early nineteenth century, and several of the gates survive in some form. The main gate, on the land side, leads into the old town's main street, and the sea gate opens onto the harbour. Walking around the outside of the walls, you can see the huge blocks of limestone of the older sections, the more regular masonry of the Venetian repairs and the round towers added in the late Middle Ages. In places, houses have been built into the walls, and the walls and the town form a single structure.

For visitors, the walls are an open-air monument, free to see and not fenced off. Parts can be walked along, while others are best viewed from the outside, and the best views are from the harbour and from the park side, in the evening light. A walk around the circuit takes about half an hour, and it combines well with a visit to the old town square, the cathedral, the Frankopan castle and the church of St. Mary, which are all listed in this guide. The beaches near the town are a short walk away.

Wear comfortable shoes for the uneven ground, and take care on steps and edges. The walls suit history lovers, photographers and anyone who enjoys atmospheric old towns. Allow thirty to sixty minutes.