Krk Town travel guide

Few traces remain of the Roman municipality of Curicum which once stood here, though it was certainly a place of some importance, complete with a thermal baths decorated with mosaics, fragments of which can be see in a side chapel in the Katedrala Uznesenja (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption) (Trg Sv Kvirina, daily 1000-1300, 1700-1900) . Taking on its present form during the 12th century, the cathedral was built on the site of an early Christian basilica, which grew up over the first-century baths. Ancient stone columns, topped with finely carved capitals, were incorporated into the structure, and a Gothic chapel dedicated to the Frankopans was added in the 15th century.

Adjoining the cathedral stands the Crkva Sv Kvirina (Church of St Quirinus) (Trg Sv Kvirina, daily 1000-1300, 1700-1900) a 12th-century Romanesque church built of white stone and dedicated to the town’s patron saint. It’s actually split into two levels, with a lower crypt area where prisoners sentenced to death attended a final mass before execution. The adjoining 18th-century bell tower really belongs to the cathedral, but was built here due to lack of space on the square.

The Church of St Quirinus houses the Riznica (Treasury) (T051-221341, summer Mon-Sat 1000-1300, 15Kn) containing works of religious art including a stunning silver-plated altarpiece depicting Virgin Mary in Glory (1477) made in Venice as a gift for the cathedral, upon the request of Ivan Frankopan.

On the seafront, behind the cathedral, stands the Frankopanski Kaštel (Frankopan Castle) (Kamplin Trg, open only for cultural events during the summer festival) a sturdy, square structure with corner towers, from 1191. Besides building the castle, this powerful local family was responsible for the construction of the 12th-century town walls, part of which can still be seen today.

There are no real beaches here, concrete bathing areas substituting the long stretches of unspoilt shoreline you might be dreaming of, but will only find in Baška, on the southeast tip of the island.