Visiting Hvar Island in Croatia
Hvar
is a long and narrow island, which in 1997 was nominated as one of the
ten most beautiful islands in the world by Traveller magazine. It is a
perfect place to escape to from the mainland, an island of lavender
fields and vineyards and hills giving fabulous views to the mainland
mountains. The island has many pretty Venetian villages, and if you just
want to relax, head for the south-east, which is still largely untouched.
The Venetians
brought prosperity to Hvar in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,
using it as a base for their Adriatic fleet. In 1571 Turkish troops laid
waste to Hvar town. The buildings you see today were mainly erected in
the late sixteenth century or later.
St Stephen's
Square is the largest in Dalmatia. It is lined with shops and cafes, with
one end opening onto a small harbor and the other occupied by the
magnificent sixteenth century cathedral. On the southern corner of the
square is the former Arsenal, which now houses an art gallery that leads
to the old theatre. The arched vault beneath the gallery used to allow
Venetian ships to anchor safely while undergoing repair. In 1610, a
democratic agreement was signed giving all citizens equal rights and for
a short time the years were counted from that date, and the Latin
inscription over the door reads 'the second year of peace'.
South of the
square, there is an impressive fifteenth century Franciscan monastery,
now a museum, where concerts are performed during summer, and north of
the square a footpath leads you up to the sixteenth-century fortress.
