Marko Polo Centar — Attraction in Grad Korčula

Beautifull town and island Korcula.Croatian shiny pearl in Adriatic neckless.You must visit Marko Polo home town and think about centuries that pased.Croat build it Croat rule it.It was ruled in one period in time by Mleci people from lagune down North of Mare Nostrum(Croatian sea). Name Polo comes from Croatian name for halfbreed.Mulat or mixed blud. Marko did not speak Italian ,but some Latin-Greek-Arab version of language for seaman and traders.It is still in use on board many Croatian vesels.Most of Croats were still of old Croatian,non Cristian faith. As prisoners of war,after bludy batle near Korcula,he was questioned by Genovese and he tried to survive by telling all he witnesed or heard about China ,India and Japan.Main goal of Genovese was to learn secrets of Venetian state and business.That parth of Marko life is in shadow and historians tend to shift from logic.Logic is all we have in pursuit for truth. There is no Polo family estate or any trace of Polo in Venice.Why.Because he is Croatian from Korcula.He gave all secrets to Genovese.Remember,Kolumbo was from Genova and he learned a lot from Polo confessions in prison.Only smal part of his testimony was published by Rusticelo after Marko left prison and returned to Korcula. Imagine prisoner in Genova using hundreds of precious pergamena ,to write down some felow prisoner story.HaHa.Italians are realy good in imagination. British schollars like to make stories looking beter or more civilized.It will take some time to realize how many fake news they produced in...

Writing as an Australian of European/ Croatian/ Dalmatian descent who lived and traded in China for many years, the Marko Polo Centre is exceptional. In China Polo's legacy of peaceful trade and cultural exchange to promote mutual prosperity, respect and understanding is still very much revered today, so I was delighted to see and experience Polo's story in such a beautiful, authentic and considered environment. The Centre is an experience both of late 13th Century Europe and it's understanding of the world and also the modern world,. The museum has been intelligently planned, designed and beautifully constructed right in the heart of the Old Town of Korčula. It's so powerful learning about Polo in the town where he once lived, worked and even defended. A highlight was to be so very fortunate to have a tour with Mr Vicko Marelić, the curator and director of the Centre. His wonderful multi-lingual and cross cultural presentation, (and panache), so acutely contextualised the narrative of Polo in how his spirit of mercantile adventure and resulting exchange from so long ago is still shaping the world we live in today. The Marko Polo Cetre is not only about history, it makes us inspired to continue to live with that adventurer entrepreneur spirit. To travel the world, not to conquer, but to both learn and teach and find ways to coexist and trade in peace, harmony, respect and mutual prosperity. A very important and positive message for the times we now find ourselves in. Thank you Mr Vicko Marelić and thank you to the Marko...

I visited the Island of Korcula in July 1970 with my then boyfriend. We spent 5 days there, and stayed in the House of Marco Polo. It was run by two , very severe ladies dressed in black. They spoke to me in German, throughout our stay. I had learned to speak Serbo Croatian before setting out on our 6 week, Student adventure to former Yugoslavia. Our room at the House of Marco Polo was immense with two large double beds. There was a big sink in the room, we had been told on arrival, by the two ladies, that the hot tap did not work( in German). The toilet, if you can can it that, was at the back of the building, outside. It was foul, it stank, we rarely used it. We ate in the Old Town, shopped in the market and lay in the sun in the early evening. The experience, as a Uni Student at the age of 20, was incredible, 6 weeks slowly travelling from Dubrovnik towards Ljubljana in former Yugoslavia, was incredible. Now aged 73, how Yugoslavia has changed, one day, I would love to return...