Hvar (local Croatian dialect: Hvor or For, , , ) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast. The island measures approximately 80 km, east to west and is a tourist destination.

Geography

Hvar Island is administratively part of the Split-Dalmatia County in Dalmatia, Croatia. It is separated from the island of Bra? by the Hvar Channel (Hvarski kanal), from Vis by the Vis Channel, from Kor?ula by the Kor?ula Channel, from Pelje?ac by the Neretva Channel, while the east cape of the island is located just three nautical miles (6 km) away from the mainland. Along the southern coast of the island there are several smaller islands, notably the Paklenski Otoci in the west and the ??edro island in the south.

It covers with fruit growing, olives, lavender and fishing being the main occupations. As of 1991 the estimated population was around 11,400.

The major divisions of the island include:

• Hvar (population 4,138 in 2001)
• the town of Stari Grad, located on the north part of the island (population 2,817 in 2001), the site of one of the first human settlements on the Adriatic islands during the Antiquity Stari Grad is the main sea port on the island; most visitors arrive here via car ferries from Split.
• Jelsa is a town in the central-northern part of the island (population 3,672 in 2001)
• Su?uraj is a picturesque small town (more than 2,300 years old) on the east cape of the island Hvar in Croatia. The population of 400 people exists by tourism and fishing. Thanks to the very mild climate and beautiful countryside, many tourists come to Sucuraj. The town is the official centre of the east part of the island.

History

A view of the city of Hvar from the Castle

Beginning in the 4th century BCE, the Greeks colonized the island.^[1] In 384 BC the Greek colonisers of Pharos defeated Iadasinoi warriors and their allies, invited by the Hvar indigenes in their resistance to the Greek colonisation. Their victory over much larger forces was immortalized on an inscription, one of the oldest known inscriptions of Croatia.

A view of Stari Grad on Hvar

The 12th century brought the Republic of Venice, which bought vines and wine cultivation which blossomed into a major industry for the island in the Middle Ages. The island eventually again fell under Byzantine rule, and then the Hungarian Kings. In 1331 the Venetians put the island under protection from threats of piracy. According to the 1358 Treaty of Zadar, the island was handed over to the Kingdom of Hungary. For short time in the summer of 1390 it was held by the Bosnian king Stephen Tvtko I. In December 1396 King Sigismund gave the island to ?ura? II Stracimirovi? of the Bal?i? house of Zeta, who kept it until his death in 1403, when it returned to the Hungarian crown. In 1409, the Republic of Venice finally again became its long-term owner.

The southern coast of Hvar near Sveta Nedjelja

Hvar is important to the history of Croatia as it was one of the centers of Croatian literature during the Renaissance, with writers such as Petar Hektorovi? and Hanibal Luci?. In Stari Grad, tourists can see the Petar Hektorovi? fortress/villa called Tvrdalj Castle, architectonically designed by the poet himself.

Churches on the island contain lots of important paintings and artworks by famous Venetian artists, including Tintoretto, Veronese, Bellini and others.

In 1797 Hvar was annexed with the fall of the Venetian Republic by the Habsburg Monarchy as per the Treaty of Campoformio. But forces of the French Empire seized it in 1806 during the Napoleonic wars.

During the Croatian national renaissance, in the age of national awakening in Europe, many leading figures in southern Croatia, and in Croatia as a whole, came from Hvar.

The Austrians regained control of the island in accordance to the 1815 Treaty of Vienna and into the beginning of the 20th century brought a period of relative prosperity. The Italian army occupied the island from 1918 until 1921, when Hvar with the rest of Croatia joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1939 an autonomous Croatian Banate was formed that included it and in 1941 Fascist Italy occupied it until the end of the World War II in 1945, when it became a part of Communist Yugoslavia, it's Croatian constituent republic.

Ivan Vu?eti?, the man who perfected dactyloscopy at the turn of the 20th century, came from Hvar island.

In 1992 the Republic of Croatia was recognized as an Independent state in which Hvar obtained a position in its territorial reorganization.

In today's Croatia, Hvar's most famous citizen in the world is football player Igor Tudor (Juventus), while most famous Croatian deputy in Sabor (awarded as the "Deputy of the year") is from the island of Hvar, Ton?i Tadi?.

Economy

Residents of Hvar mostly work in the fishing and tourism industries. Hvar has a very mild Mediterranean climate, beautiful beaches and Mediterranean vegetation that make it one of the most attractive tourist centers in Europe. The island promotes itself as "the sunniest spot in Europe", with 2715 hours of sunlight in an average year.

Port in Hvar town

Another major economic activity is the cultivation of lavender, used for aromatic oils and soaps. Hvar is often called the "island of lavender".

Hvar is also one of the two most famous winemaking zones in Croatia. Vineyards on the southern side of the island are famous for red wines produced from the Plavac Mali grape. The central plain between Stari Grad and Jelsa is famous for its white wines.

Names of the island

As a Greek colony, the island was known as Pharos 'lighthouse'. The Greek poet Apollonius of Rhodes referred to the island as "Piteyeia" in the 3rd century BC, a name derived either from the Greek word "pitys", meaning spruce, or from the ancient Illyrian village of Pitve in the central part of the island.

Under the Roman rule (in the province of Dalmatia), it was known as Pharia and later Fara.

In the early Middle Ages, Slavs settled the island and named it Hvar, replacing the consonant "f" with old Slavic consonant "hv". But, the island was still ruled by the romanized Illyrians. The Croats' influence convinced the resident Roman population to once again change the official name to Quarra.

Since the late 11th century its Italian name has been Lesina; in Venetian, Liesena. The name remained official during Venetian rule. Ironically, Italian name has a Slavic origin- Lesna, meaning "Wood".

Sources

External links

• Official site of Hvar Island
• Hvar picture gallery
• Hvarinfo
• The island of Hvar info
• Tourist board of City of Hvar
• Hvar Island Travel Guide
• The Island of Hvar* Adriatic Islands Project: Contact, commerce and colonisation 6000 BC - AD 600
• Info about Hvar Island

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