History and attractions of Hvar town

History

Hvar is a city with an ancient history. Its earliest inhabitants were Illyrians, in the 4th century BC by Greek colonists, who earlier founded the colony of Faros (modern Stari Grad) on the island. There was founded a colony on the site of modern Hvar. In the 3rd century BC Hvar together with the whole of Illyria came under the control of Rome.

In the seventh century, the Slavs came to the Adriatic. In the XII century Hvar came under the control of Venice, during this period walls and fortifications were built and Hvar Bay became one of the ports for the Venetian navy. In the XIII century Hvar received the status of town and became the administrative center of the island, replacing Stari Grad in this role. At the same time from Stari Grad the residence of the bishop was moved to Hvar. In the 15th century, the town greatly expanded and spread beyond the fortress walls to the surrounding hills. By the end of the century Hvar became one of the main Venetian commercial and military ports on the Adriatic.

In the 16th century Hvar was in the forefront of the struggle between the Venetians and the Turks for dominance in the eastern Mediterranean. In 1571 the island was ravaged by the Turks, and Hvar Fortress was incurred serious damage. In 1579, as a result of an explosion of a powder room, fortress was almost completely destroyed, but the city and the fortress were soon rebuilt.

After the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, the Austrians came to the island. They were knocked off the island by Napoleonic armies in 1806. In 1807 Hvar was attacked by the Ushakov fleet during the Mediterranean expedition. At the end of the wars in 1815 Hvar, together with the Dalmatian coast, was again annexed to Austria.

In 1918-1921 Hvar was occupied by the Italians, after World War I it became part of Yugoslavia. During World War II Hvar was one of the mini-bases for the fleet of Yugoslav partisans, in September 1944 the last units of the Wehrmacht were knocked out. After the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1991, Hvar became part of independent Croatia.

Attractions

The St. Stephen's Cathedral was built in the Dalmatian Renaissance style. It is located on the central square of the old town. It was built in several stages in the 16th and 17th centuries. The interior of the cathedral dates back to the 18th century, the bell tower was built in the 16th century. The bishop's palace is adjacent to the cathedral. A collection of paintings and objects of worship are exhibite in the cathedral. There is a city well in the square in front of the cathedral.

Spanish fortress built in the early seventeenth century on the hill of St. Nicholas by the Venetians. It dominates of the city. The fortress was built as a defensive structure. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. Five-meter bas-relief with the coat of arms of Venice - a winged lion - decorates the main tower of the fortress. Today in the fortress there is a museum, which exhibits various objects of antiquity and the Middle Ages, including a magnificent collection of amphorae.

Arsenal. On the second floor of the Arsenal building (16th-17th century) was opened the first public theater in Croatia in 1612.

Piazza. The central square of the Old Town. In addition to the cathedral and the Arsenal building, on the square there are a number of palaces of the XV-XVI centuries. The most famous are the Paladini Palace and the Hectorovich Palace and the town hall with a tower decorated with a clock.

Town walls. Walls were built by the Venetians in the XIII century, later reconstructed many times.

Napoleon's fortress. Napoleon's army occupied Hvar in the beginning of the 19th century.

After an unsuccessful battle with the Russian army, the French decided to build a defensive structure on a hill outside the city. It became a fortress, which appeared here in 1811. To do this, the soldiers had to tear down the old temple. Today the fortress is still in decent condition. Now there is an observatory in the fortress.

Franciscan monastery ( the end of the 15th century).

The monastery was built between 1461 and 1471, and the bell tower was added by a noble family of hereditary masons from Korcula in the 16th century. At present, the monastery halls are exhibiting old coins and books, valuable archive documents, nautical maps, etc. The most interesting object is the Atlas of Ptolemy, published in 1524.

In the monastery there is an art gallery, which amazes with a collection of works by old masters. Here you can see "The Last Supper" by the famous Venetian master Palma del Vecchio. This painting once belonged to the famous Venetian Matteo Ingoli, but passed into the monastery's collection.

In the Church of the Virgin Mary, which is located in the monastery's area, there are three folding icons by Francesco de Santacroce, which were created in 1583. Also in the altar is a crucifix created by Leonardo Bassano. Under the altar of the church is the tomb of Hannibal Lukic. The portal of the church is decorated with a Renaissance relief depicting the Madonna and Child. The image was created by Nicola of Florence in 1470. It is interesting because it is encrusted with precious stones.