VRBNIK, a small town and harbour in the central part of the north-eastern coast of the island of Krk; elevation 49 m. It lies above the coast, on a limestone hill which, on the eastern side, overlooking the sea, terminates in a coastal precipice, while on the western side it descends into a valley, whose lower part is submerged and converted into a bay. In winter months, Vrbnik is exposed to the strong bora. In the clear-water cove of Zgribnica is the public beach. Chief occupations include farming, viniculture, fishing, textile industry and tourism. The harbour is protected from all winds. Smaller vessels may dock on the inner side of the breakwater, and the interior part of the harbour, with two smaller old stone piers, provides shelter for yachts. The 7-km long local road connects Vrbnik with the main road leading through the island.
Vrbnik was first mentioned in 1100 and in 1388 it had the statutes written in Glagolitic script. In its ground-plan, this typical Frankopan-style settlement is similar to other settlements built by the dukes of Krk in the region of Croatian Primorje; in its present aspect the small town has maintained all features of a mediaeval habitation, above which the parish church of St. Mary rises, built in the 15th and 16th centuries, later reconstructed on several occasions, with the Renaissance bell tower erected in 1527. Apart from Baroque-style furniture, the altar and liturgical vessels, the most prominent feature is the Renaissance altar of St. Mary of the Roses, allegedly a donation of Duke Ivan Frankopan. In the chapel of Mary's prebend is the polyptych of St. Anne, a work by a local master from the 15th century. The main altar features a work by the Kotor painter Marin Cvitkovic, The Last Supper, from 1599. The Community Centre keeps the famous library of Dinko Vitezic from Vrbnik, with more than 15,000 volumes. The most valuable among them are certainly Glagolitic manuscripts from the 14th-15th century (the most famous being the first illuminated Vrbnik Missal from the 15th c.) and several incunabula. Within the library is also the triptych of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Saints from the 16th century. In front of the church is the main square with the loggia and the Ducal Palace. The town dominates over the Vrbnik field, with the ruins of the Gradac fortress on its northern edge. According to a tradition, Gradac is related to the Frankopans, as the family registry and a place of intensive weaving activity (most probably manufacturing of tapestries). The municipal cemetery features the small Gothic church of St. John from the 15th century, and in the cove of Sveti Juraj (St. George) one can see the ruins of a small church with the remains of Romanesque wall paintings.
DA-TOMASI travel agency team |
Kvarner / otok Krk / Vrbnik !
