Hvar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hvar (Italian Lesina) is a beautiful Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast. The island is spread out from west to east to around 80 km.
Hvar is separated from the island of Brač by the Hvar Channel (Hvarski kanal), from Vis by the Vis Channel, from Korčula by the Korčula Channel, from Pelješac by the Neretva Channel, while the east cape of the island is located just three nautical miles away from the mainland.
The major divisions of the island include:
- the town of Hvar (population 4,138 in 2001), the site of the first public theatre in Europe, opened in 1612
- 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
- Jelsa is a town in the central-northern part of the island (population 3,672 in 2001)
- Sucuraj 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.
Along the southern coast of the island there are several more smaller islands, notably the Paklenski otoci in the west and the Šćedro island in the south.
People of Hvar mostly live from fishing and tourism. One of the typical economic activities is also cultivation of lavender, used for aromatic oils and soaps. Hvar is often called "island of lavender". Hvar is also one of two most famous winemaking zones in Croatia. Hills of the southern side of the island are famous for its red wines produced from the sort Plavac Mali. Central plain between Strari Grad and Jelsa is famous for its white wines. Hvar has a very mild Mediterranean climate, beautiful beaches and Mediterranean vegetation that attracts tourists.
Hvar is administratively part of the Split-Dalmatia county of Croatia.
[edit] History
In the 4th century BC the people of Pharos defeated Jasadini warriors and their allies. Their victory over much larger forces is immortalized an inscription, one of the oldest known inscriptions of Croatia.
The Hvar Culture lasted from 3500 to 2500 BC.
Venetian sailors saw the island while sailing towards the Neretva Channel and were threatened by pirates from the island.
In 925 the island was incoroporated into the Medieval Croatian state under the crown of King Tomislav.
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 Hektorović and Hanibal Lucić. In Stari Grad, tourists can see the Petar Hektorovic fortress/villa called Tvrdalj (Tough Place), architectonically designed by the poet himself.
Chrurches on the island contain lots of important paintings and artworks by famous Venetian artists, including Tinoretto, Veronese, Bellini and others.
Ivan Vučetić, the man who perfected dactyloscopy at the turn of the 20th century, came from Hvar island. In today's Croatia, Hvar's most famous citizen is football player Igor Tudor (Juventus).
[edit] Names of the island
Originally known as Pharos after the Aegean island of Paros, the island was a Greek colony. The Greek poet Apollonius of Rhodes referred to the island as "Piteyeia" in the 3rd century BC. He came up with the name from either 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, the Slavs settled the island and named it Hvar, replacing the old Slavic consonant "f" with "hv", but the island was still ruled by the Romance-speaking population of Dalmatia. Slavs influence convinced the resident Roman population to once again change the official name to Quarra.
Since the late 11th century the Italians called it Lesina, which meant "forest" (an accurate description of the island at the time), or in Venetian Republic, Liesena. The Italian name for it, Lesina, remained in official use until the 19th century.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Official site of Hvar Island
- Tourist board of City of Hvar
- The Island of Hvar
- The town of Sucuraj on Hvar
- Adriatic Islands Project: Contact, commerce and colonisation 6000 BC - AD 600
| edit | Municipalities of Split-Dalmatia County |  |
|---|---|---|
|
Split |
||
