Revelin Tower (Korcula Island)

The Revelin Tower is one of several towers dotted around the Old City of Korcula and is used today as its main entrance. Medieval Korcula was historically fortified due to its strategic location in the Adriatic Sea and the possibility of enemy attacks. Revelin Tower was built in the 13th century as a defensive structure and indicates the southern entrance to the city. It is also known by the name Tower of the South Land Gate. Another name for the tower is Veliki Revelin, which in Croatian means ‘The Great Revelin’. 

The History of Revelin Tower

Until 1863 a wooden drawbridge led to the entrance within Revelin Tower, but now tourists go up the wide stone stairway with graceful balustrades. Made of local limestone, the tower is square in shape and has battlements on its top. The top terrace provides breathtaking panoramas of the island and the Old Town’s terracotta rooftops as well as views of the Peljesac region and the sea. 

There are two stone bas-reliefs on the front facade. The upper one has a winged-lion sculpture, a symbol of Saint Mark, which is also a symbol of the city of Venice representing that the town was formerly part of the Venetian Republic. The text on the plaque below translates as, “In the memory of the coronation of Croatian King Tomislav,” celebrating the island re-joining Croatia in the 20th century.