The Town Of Hvar

The town of Hvar is the largest settlement on the island of Hvar.
The access to Hvar implies the point from which we have reached it. From the sea, we get the sight of a waterfront promenade strip bordered with a row of palm trees and seven centuries old walls, overtopped by the fortresses protecting Hvar, extending downwards to the town and to the Venetian loggia. Coming from the central part of the island or using the road from the ferry harbour we arrive at the magnificent Piazza, a square generally considered the most beautiful of the kind in Dalmatia, dominated by St. Stephen's Cathedral and bordered by the palaces of Groda and by the cascading stone-built houses of Burag. But, no matter from which point this town is approached, Hvar straightway presents itself as a monument. Centuries have ground its stone, epochs, above all renaissance, have shaped its appearance. Monuments within monuments, monuments on monuments. Hvar is a jewel hidden by the time.

Yet, the presentation of Hvar is not defined by its monuments only. It should include its harbour spreading towards the sea and the islands called Pakleni Otoci, its hotels, apartments, its unmatched climate having healing properties, its restaurants and cafes, all reflecting the glossy spirit of an exquisite resort area for almost a century and a half.

Hvar displays with pride the oldest municipal theatre in Europe. Hvar has been built through time by notable domestic and foreign architects. Hvar has been celebrated in verses. Hvar has been painted by the painters. But Hvar itself is the best narrator of its own story. It is enough to come and see for oneself. That way we shall touch piece of the legend.

The Fortresses

The town fortress or a citadel, perched on a hill above the old town and built on the site of the medieval one in the middle of the 16th century, encloses the city walls. In 1579 it was restored after a gun-powder explosion in which it had suffered considerable damages. During French rule some additional reinforcement building was done. The barracks and observation post were built during Austrian rule. Today, the fortress has been reconstructed as a modern tourist complex with diverse facilities. Once used exclusively as a fortified position, the citadel has become a belvedere very popular with tourists, since it commands a superb view of the town with its surroundings, especially by night when the floodlit stone forms of the ancient town appear against the dark skies.

During Napoleon rule in 1811, a fortress was constructed on the rather higher hill of St. Nicholas the Greater, east of the town fortress. Even today it is called "Napoleon". It was built where the medieval army and naval observation post and a small chapel once were. Today it is an observatory.

When entering the port from the left side, there is the so-called "batterie de gauche", named after the Tirolean revolutionary Andreas Hofer at the beginning of Austrian rule, on the projecting ridge. It is surrounded by pine trees. Today, there is a monument inside of it, erected in 1945, commemorating the fighters and wounded of the 7th Corps of the Military Hospital. This is one of the earliest monuments of its kind in Croatia.

On the left side of the port there is the Greek-Orthodox monastery of St. Veneranda-Petka, which in 1807 the French converted into the little fortress called "batterie de droite". The church tower of a former monastery church was pulled down, and a meteorological station erected on the remains. This edifice was turned into an open air theatre in 1953.

On the little island of Galesnik, at the entrance to Hvar port, Austria built a gun-emplacement in 1836.

The town loggia and a clock tower (Palace)

On the north side of the bottom part of the square is the town loggia with a clock tower from the 15th century, which together are the only remains of the former Governor's Palace. The Palace was already completed in the middle of the 14th century as an impressive building with four towers.

The town loggia was demolished by the Turkish raids of 1571 and rebuilt in a fine Renaissance style at the beginning of the 17th century by the Croatian mason master Trifun Bokanic. The measured harmony of the arches of the facade is underlined by a row of pillars above which, and beneath the bead-moulding of the balustrade, one can see a frieze of grotesque stone heads. From 1868 the loggia functions as a coffee house. Today, the interior of the loggia is decorated in a neo-Renaissance style and serves as a reception hall and exhibition room not only for the hotel "Palace", but for the town of Hvar, as well.

Of the former four towers of the Governor's Palace, the clock tower from the end of the 15th century, renovated in the 18th and the 19th century, is the only one remaining. The loggia and the clock tower are a part of the "Palace" today, which was built where the Governor's Palace once stood. The only remains of the Governor's Palace are two relieves of the Venetian lion, a large well and a lintel from the Palace chapel from 1612.

The cathedral of Sv. Stjepan

The cathedral of Sv. Stjepan(St. Stephen) stands on the eastern side of the square and thus greatly enhances its visual impact. The building of the cathedral was begun on the remains of the late-Gothic cathedral of the 15th century, which was built where the former church of St. Maria di Lesna and the medieval Benedictine abbey stood. The bishopric of Hvar was founded in 1147, with its centre in Stari Grad, but in the middle of the 13th century it was moved to Hvar. The first bishop resident in Hvar was mentioned in 1249. This fact not only determined the building of the cathedral and the bishopric, but also the building of the town itself.

The cathedral was built in stages during the 16th and 17th centuries, while the interior was not wholly completed until the 18th century. It has the characteristics of a Renaissance-baroque style, a monumental facade with a three-cornered gable and a Renaissance bell tower which has a Romanesque style in its ascending stages. The bell tower was built by Nikola Karlic and Marko Milic Pavlovic in the 16th century. The cathedral has three aisles and the shape of a basilica. The sanctuary of the nave is, in fact, the nave of the former Gothic church: the two pulpits, the stone polyptich with "The altar of the Apostles", and relieves "The Scourging of Christ" and the "Annunciation", from the workshop of Juraj Dalmatinac in the 15th century. There are eleven baroque altars, the opposite ones being identical, made by Venetian artists. These baroque altars blend gracefully with the subtle Renaissance interior of the church.

The town's main square

This square is the largest in Dalmatia, 4 500 square metres, and was previously bordered by gardens. The cathedral and the Bishop's Palace form the eastern side, and it is ringed by public buildings and grand palaces. On the north-west side the square extends to the Governor's Palace and borders the sea-board called Fabrika. In the middle of the square, in front of the cathedral, there is a large well from 1520. The square was fully paved only in 1780, while the area in front of the Loggia was already paved in 1537.

In this part of the square there is a stone pillar called "standarac" (municipal flagpole) used for flying the flag. In the part, municipal resolutions were read in front of this pillar, to which criminals were tied and displayed.

Here is a quotation from a famous speech by Vinko Priboevic that was made in Hvar in 1525, in which this learned Dominican, a contemporary of the time of the town's biggest expansion, gives his own description of the town:

"Should you travel from Greece towards Venice, on the right, at the beginning of that channel, there is a harbour that can accommodate many vessels. The port is enclosed by three rather small hills, the middle one being the largest. On the top of this hill there is an inaccessible fortress, surrounded by sheer cliffs (according to Sabelik), and fortified by a very strong wall. The fortress can be reached with difficulty from the west side, by a steep and very narrow path, where there are three strongly fortified round towers. The town of Hvar spreads out over the hill below the path. The town itself occupies a large part of the valley, which covers the area between the eastern hill and the above-mentioned hill with a fortress on top. A suburb of almost 700 houses, built of square stone blocks, reaches to this eastern hill. The town is very conveniently situated, as it has a free circulation of air from the east and the south, where the sea enters the port. The other part of the valley is occupied by two spacious squares which frame the beautiful cathedral and the Bishop's Palace. The upper square, which faces east, gives a lovely glimpse of the fresh-water spring and a circle of green gardens. The lower square touches the monastery of St. Mark the Evangelist, which lies near the sea at the bottom of the west hill where the Dominican priests live according to the rules of their order. Among the many decorations of this very spacious square in front of the door of the Bishop's Palace, there is a well of extraordinary size.
And what can I say about the superb Governor's Palace which stands out splendidly against the port and the square and is protected from the westside of the town by the church of St. Marcus the Evangelist and four magnificent towers..."

Panoramic view of Hvar from the second half of the 19th C

(Centre for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage)

The early colonisation of this part of the island was conditioned by the long, accessible and sheltered bay of the town of Hvar, the soft landscape and coast, and a mild climate. The area in the immediate vicinity of Hvar was inhabited by a high neolithic culture more than 7000 years ago. The evidence for this was found in Marco's cave on the cape of Pelegrin, 20 minutes walk from the town of Hvar. Many items of ceramics, tools, and weapons were found there.

The continuity of existence of the Hvar settlement can be traced from then up to Illyrian times. The Illyrians inhabited the island during the 2nd millennium BC. Fortifications and sepulchral mounds which are situated under the medieval fortress and on the Paklinski islands are the material vestiges of their culture.

The Greek settlement in the vicinity of Hvar can be confirmed only by the discovery of coins. It is indisputable though that the settlement existed, especially because of its geographical advantages and importance as a centre for communications.

The Roman settlement was situated in the valley of Dolac, from in front of the cathedral up to the summer villa of Hanibal Lucic, and southwards, along the edges of today's main square, framing the city harbour (in ancient times the sea came up to the cathedral, which indicates that the square was an inlet of the sea). The Roman colonisation continued on the Greek site, but the area was broader since the Roman style of life was more rural. Therefore, there are many remains of the Roman villa rusticate in the area of today's fields near Hvar.

The remains of ancient monuments can be found on the Paklinski islands and in the sea near Hvar which all confirm intensive navigation and commerce. The town from the late ancient period developed on the slopes of the northern hill where the Illyrian ruins were, and later the medieval town was founded there. In the 17th and 18th centuries Hvar was under the rule of Neretva. Today there are very few architectural remains to indicate the existence of this influence in the area called Burag (Burak).

The port of Hvar at the begining of the century

Today's old town is situated on two hills which are connected by the main square. The town started forming after 1278 when Venice conditioned the building of the town with the construction of the fortress, its walls, and the public buildings, which give the special atmosphere to the town. In the 15th century the part of the town called Grad, situated below the fortress and surrounded by the walls, became too confined, so the settlement extended to the south hill where the suburb of Burag were founded. These two urban agglomerations are connected by the square. On the east they are bounded by the cathedral and on the west by the arsenal, the Governor's Palace and mandrac (enclosed marina), forming the medieval perimeter of the town. The second half of the 13th century, i.e. after 1278, was when Hvar took over the dominant role on the island and became the centre of the community. Being the main point for communications and commerce with the municipal and church administration, Hvar became the centre of the economic, political and cultural life on the island. Hvar had an important role in the Venetian state owing to its exceptional position as regards communications, i.e. navigation both up and down, and across, the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas. It made possible its prosperity and expansion, which lasted from the 13th to the 17th century, after which there was a degree of stagnation for Hvar and the islands itself up to the second half of the 19th century. Tourism and other aspects of the economy then began to develop.

The arsenal and the shore facilities

The very early building of the shore facilities and the arsenal was determined by the exceptionally suitable maritime character of the port of Hvar.

The building of the arsenal was started in the 13th century as a warehouse for the communal war galley. It was damaged by the Turkish ravages of 1571 and by gun-powder explosion in the Hvar fortress in 1579; and finally achieved its present-day appearance in the 17th century. Beside the arsenal a Fontic was built; it was warehous for the municipal supply of wheat and salt. Its facade is embellished with arched portals.

In 1612 a theatre was built on the first floor of the arsenal. It is one of the oldest in Europe and certainly the first municipal one as well. Built by the efforts and contributions of all the members of the community, regardless of class, it shows the high cultural standards set by this, in European relations small and rather isolated society.

Near the arsenal, there is a small enclosed marina "Mandrac" (from the Greek word mandra=sheepfold), which closes the west side of the square, and is mentioned for the first time in 1459. In 1795 the Venetian District Governor Marco Dandalo finished the building of Mandrac by putting Baroque pyramids on the walls around it.

The stone paved quay, called Fabrika, dating from 1554, stretches from the north-west of Mandrac. This quay, one of the oldest in Europe, was built from monumental stone blocks interconnected by stone grooves. The City Walls from the end of the 13th century, stretch from the city fortress towards the square where they join the third wall in an east-west direction. This wall is practically camouflaged by a series of patrician houses built into it. The City Walls are interspersed with four-cornered side towers, the construction of which lasted, with essential repairs, from the 13th to the 16th century.

The main city gate (Porta del datolo), leads to the foot of the square, while the east one is in the vicinity of the cathedral, and newer, dating from 1454.

The Franciscan monastery and the church

The monastery is situated on the tongue of land beside the bay called Kriza to the south of the town. It was built between 1461 and 1471 as a retreat for sailors. The cloister, with its monumental rounded arches with a well in the middle, dominates the whole of the Renaissance monastery. The whole complex is surrounded by lush gardens and is walled.

The former spacious refectory and a small, adjacent room have been turned into the monastery museum. Along with a collection of old books and coins, the famous "Last Supper", a work belonging to the Venetian School of Palma the Younger from the end of the 16th century, has the strongest claims on the attention of the numerous visitors.

There is a 300 year old cypress tree of impressive size and of magnificent shape in the garden in front of the dinning-room. From the garden there is a superb view of Hvar harbour and the Paklinski islands, which is unforgettable, especially at dusk.

The monastery church of Our Lady of Mercy was built on the site of the former small chapel of the Holy Cross in 1475.

The bell tower, of a fine Renaissance style, is the work of an artist from Korcula. It is one of the four church towers in Hvar which are considered to be the most beautiful in Dalmatia.

There is a Renaissance portal on the facade of the church which has a fine relief of "Madonna and Child" in the tympanum dating from the middle of the 15th century. It is from the workshop of the Renaissance sculptor Nikola Firentinac.

The interior of the church has two sides. The nave is divided into two by the wooden reredos and the choir. There is a polyptych on the high altar by the Venetian artist Francesco de Santacroce (1516-1584). In front of the altar is the tomb of the poet Hanibal Lucic, the author of the first Croatian secular drama "Robinja" ("The Slave-Girl"). The wooden choir stalls are among the oldest in Dalmatia. They were made by the artist Franjo Ciocic of Korcula and Antun Spija of Zadar in 1583.

On the upper part of the reredos there is a cycle of six scenes from "Christ's Passion" by Martin Benetovic (1607), a writer of comedies and an organist, and the author of "Hvarkinja" ("The Woman of Hvar" and "The comedy of Rastoc"). On the lower part of the reredos Francesco de Santacroce painted the cycle of paintings from Mary's life. On the south wall of the nave there is a painting directly opposite in the side aisle. The chapel of the Holy Cross has a Gothic vault and is divided from the aisle by a late Gothic stone screen, a work by Petar Andrijic. There is a colourful and resplendent painting of "The Crucifixion" by Leonardo Bassano (1560-1623) on the altar, which is one of the most valuable paintings of the Hvar collection.

The nave of the church, above the reredos, is dominated by a huge wooden crucifix.

The monastery was damaged by the Turks (the attack of Uluz Ali) in 1571, but was soon repaired in 1574.

The wall round the monastery dates from 1545, and the series of little baroque chapels that stretch from the monastery to the town, were built by the commander of the Adriatic fleet Marin Capello in 1720.

At the end of the series of little chapels a street of characteristic paving stones goes through the outlying district to the main square. This is a picturesque street intersected by a series of smaller transversal streets, usually in the form of a flight of steps, edged by stone buildings ranging in style from Gothic to Baroque.

The Hektorovic Palace

Just above the city entrance is one of the finest late Gothic houses - the Hektorovic Palace built in the highly ornate late Venetian Gothic style in the 15th century.

The Summer Residence of Hanibal Lucic

Behind the Cathedral is the summer residence of the poet Hanibal Lucic from the 16th century. Built in measured Renaissance style, of moderate size and once standing in a luxuriant garden, it radiates harmony and sophistication.

The building is now the seat of the Centre for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage.