The sunniest island...
When we think of Hvar - we think about the island with rich vegetation of palms, aloes, pine trees, laurel, rosemary and lavender. This island is situated in Dalmatia in the centre of practically all of the routes that cross the eastern Adriatic. It is the sunniest island in Croatia, boasting not less than 2724 hours of sunshine per year.
The history of the island goes back into the prehistoric period, and the finds from two most important caves ( Grapceva and Markova spilja ) prove that existence of the life on the island is at least 6000 years old. The oldest description of a ship in Europe was found on a pottery fragment in Grapceva spilja ( cave ).
Greek colonists already founded a strong urban centre on the location of Pharos, today's Stari Grad in 384-85 BC. The map of land division of the fertile plain of Stari Grad is an exceptional document 2500 years old and belongs to that period. It is today one of 3 oldest plains in the world with preserved Greek land division.
Later battles between the Illyrians and Romans confirmed the importance and value of this territory, and each of these peoples also left distinctive traces of their presence. During the Gothic, Renaissance, Mennerism and Baroque periods, representative churces and places were erected, valuable pictures and sculptures were obtained, and urban and rural environments of extraordinary form and beauty were created.
Hvar represents itself as a monument of art. Culture and art are essential attributes of Hvar. Different monuments ( architecture, sculpture, paintings ) in Hvar show the cultural importance of Hvar through the centuries. The Renaissance Hvar was one of the centres of Croatian literature and culture. Hvar was the birth place of Petar Hektorovic, Hanibal Lucic and many other writers whose works have become integral parts of the Croatian and European literary heritage.
The town of Hvar displays with pride the oldest municipal theatre in Europe opened in 1612. The seven century-old walls, with fortifications towering above them, keep watch over Hvar as they slope down toward the town, its Venetian loggia and the magnificent Piazza, a square generally considered the most beautiful of the kind in Dalmatia, dominated by St. Stephen's Cathedral.
The southwestern side of the island is bordered by the romantic string of the Pakleni otoci ( Resin Islands ) - a cluster of islands, islets and cliffs. These islands are a haven if you are on a yacht because of their beautiful inlets and beaches.
According the magazine "Traveller", MAY 1997 (10 th Anniversary Issue) in the article "The ultimate island finder", Ron Hall, the Island of Hvar is chosen as one of Ten Best Islands in the World.
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