800th Anniv. - Statue of the Town & Island of Korcula

800TH ANNNIVERSARY OF THE STATUTE OF THE TOWN AND ISLAND OF KORČULA (C) In the name of God eternal! Amen! These are the statutory regulations and orders of the community and people from the town and island of Korčula drawn up, composed, issued and competently certified by the Small, Great and General Council of the town and island in the year 1214 and in second communication during that year. The Statute of the Town and Island of Korčula from 1214 is the oldest Croatian juridical almanac and after Russian Pravda from the 11th i.e. 12th century, the oldest in all Slavic nations in general. For the purpose of regulating the inner community relationships and protecting the autonomy of the island the inhabitants of Korčula drew up already back in 1214 the Statute of their community so that in 1265 under the Venetian Duke Marsilio Zorzi, they confirmed and amended the statutory stipulations. Already in year 1887 JAZU (Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts) recognised a great importance of the statutes of Dalmatian towns and began to issue a series of juridical and historical documents of the South Slavs under the title: MONUMENTA HISTORICO-JURIDICA SLAVORUM MERIDIONALIUM, under expert guidance of the academician Jaromir Hanel, professor of juridical history, which was began just with the Statute of the Town and Island of Korčula, as the oldest. The Statute of the Town and Island of Korčula has seen several revisions: first in 1265, second in 1271 and third in 1432. Since the mediaeval statute of Korčula - as was usual in Europe of that time – was written in Latin language, it still remained inaccessible to wider public. This injustice towards common people and the folk among which the Statute was created was remedied in 1987 when the Statute of the Town and the Island of Korčula was translated into Croatian. For this great endeavour we have to thank once again to a group of enthusiasts who deserve to be mentioned by name: Prof. Dr. Antun Cvitanić, full professor of the Faculty of Law in Split as translator, Prof. Dr. Emeritus Zvonimir Šeparović as the editor of the issue, Prof. Dr. Hodimir Sirotković as the Head of the Institute for Historical Sciences of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (JAZU) and Dušan Kalogjera, BEc and publicist as the president of the Community of Korčula and president of the Committee for translation and publishing of the Statute. In this way this exceptional juridical and historical document was brought closer to the folk and scientific public. This year we commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Statute of the Town and Island of Korčula under the high auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia Ivo Josipović and the Croatian Parliament, which obliges us to organise it on a high professional and civilizational level that adorned the town and the island of Korčula already in the period when the Statute was brought. Our thanks go also to Croatian Post and its Committee for postage stamps which have recognised the importance and inestimable value of this veritable medieval pearl. Dušan Kalogjera, BEc, Publicist