Venetian Tower at a corner of the medieval castle in Krk Town, Krk Island, Croatia. The castle was built by the Croatian Frankopan or Francopan family and the tower probably dates from the 1200s. However, a plaque with the emblem of Venice, the winged lion of Saint Mark, was inserted into the stonework when Venice rebuilt the tower in 1500. The Latin inscription below the emblem, 'Aureae Venetorum Libertati’, translates as 'The Golden Liberties of Venice'.
Krk Town, Krk island, Croatia: a winged lion of St Mark, the symbol of Venice, glares down from the cylindrical Venetian Tower at a corner of the medieval Castle of the Krk Counts, built by the Croatian Frankopan or Francopan family. The Latin inscription below, 'Aureae Venetorum Libertati' translates as 'The Golden Liberties of Venice'. The tower probably dates from the 13th century, but the lion plaque was inserted into the stonework when Venice rebuilt the tower in 1500. It helps to emphasise the often uneasy relationship between the powerful Frankopans and their Venetian masters - as does the fact that some of the castle's cannons pointed at the town, as at Dubrovnik, rather than out to sea. Some historians believe this was common practice, aimed at protecting the Venetians from their own vassals. The square castle, now roofless, was built to defend Krk town from naval attacks and it served as a refuge for both soldiers and citizens. Its substantial crenellated curtain walls, rising to a height of nine meters, were skilfully incorporated into Krk's ancient Roman city defences. The Frankopans claimed to be a branch of Italy's aristocratic Frangipani family. They settled at Krk in the 13th century and later changed their surname to Frankopan, adopting a coat of arms showing two lions breaking a piece of bread (from the Latin 'frangere panem', break bread). The Frankopan dynasty maintained its position as Croatia's ruling feudal family until 1671. Krk Town, also known as Krk City, has been continuously inhabited since ancient times by Illyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Austrians. Remains of Roman buildings, including a Temple of Venus, survive in the old town, as well as remnants of Venetian city walls.
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Location: Krk Town, Krk island, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Croatia.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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