Time on the islands of Croatia never feels long enough. With the warm sunny days and the beautiful blue Adriatic Sea, it feels like I could spend more time on each of the islands I have visited. But wait…there are more islands to visit. I guess I will have to return.
A true hedonism has been present on the island of Hvar, ever since the time of sumptuous Roman villas, springing from the walls of Renaissance summer houses, and, despite all the challenges of island life, it slips even today into the reveries of modern nomads who enjoy the splendor of Hvar, where, 157 years ago, organized European tourism began.
As one would expect on an island, the history of Hvar has been broadly shaped by outsiders, each invading force leaving its mark, resulting in a rich cultural, archaeological, and architectural legacy.
The earliest signs of civilization on Hvar date back to Neolithic times and the so-called Hvar Culture of 3500 – 2500 BC.
Given its prominent position on a busy sea route, it is perhaps surprising that the island was not settled earlier than 384 BC, when the Ancient Greeks founded the settlement of Pharos (modern-day Stari Grad). The Ionian Greeks, the Parans, were in search of a base for military and trade expansion, and the deep bay at Pharos offered the best protection.
The first recorded naval battle in the Adriatic took place just off Hvar, with the Greeks successfully taking on the native Illyrian tribe of the Liburni.
With the decline of the Syracuse Empire, Pharos enjoyed a brief period of local rule under Demetrius of Hvar, who kept the Romans at bay until they finally smashed the walls of Pharos in 229 BC. The Romans used the island as a strategic and logistical base, keeping their boats in the protected bays of the Scedro and the Pakleni Islands. Roman holiday houses sprang up in the bays close to fresh water, most notably in Hvar, Stari Grad and Jelsa. Archaeological finds confirm that the islanders were engaged in wine growing, fishing, and trade.
There is little recorded about Hvar after Roman rule, but the island, along with the surrounding islands, was under the Croatian state of the Neretljani in the early Middle Ages before being briefly occupied by Venice in 1147. This was only temporary, however, as Croatian-Hungarian King Bela III managed to bring Dalmatia under his rule.
The Venetians were back in 1278, having been invited back by the islanders looking for protection from the pirates of Omis. One of the early changes the Venetians introduced was moving the central administration from Stari Grad to Hvar, and the new center became a regional administrative center for Hvar, Vis, and Brač. A plan to build walls around the town and monastery was initiated in 1292.
Venice’s rule was far from secure, and the island’s noblemen rebelled in 1310. Hvar’s rulers changed several times (Croatian-Hungarian kingdom, Bosnian kingdom, and Dubrovnik) before, along with the rest of Dalmatia, a more protracted period of Venetian rule from 1420 to 1797.
Hvar became the main Venetian port in the eastern Adriatic, but was under constant threat of attack from the Turkish fleet, which controlled the mainland near Makarska. A devastating Turkish naval attack in 1571 under Algerian commander Uluz Ali in 1571 laid waste to Vrboska, Stari Grad and Hvar.
Hvar prospered under Venetian rule and was known for wine, lavender, olives, rosemary, fishing, and boatbuilding. More than three centuries of Venetian rule came to an end in 1797, when the Austrians briefly took over before being themselves usurped by the French. The Russians bombarded Hvar in 1807 in a period of general instability and warfare in Europe, until the Austrians retook control in 1813, a rule that lasted into the 20th Century.
Austrian rule was stable and brought prosperity, most notably in the development of health tourism on the island, with the founding of the Hvar Hygienic Society in 1868. The oldest meteorological station in Croatia was also established in 1858. Austrian rule also brought infrastructure improvements to the island, including the rebuilding of all the ports, the construction of new lighthouses, the reclamation of malaria-infested marshland, and the construction of a road connecting Jelsa to Pitve and Vrisnik in 1907.
The Italians were back in November 1919, occupying Hvar once more after fierce fighting, an occupation which lasted until the 1921 Treaty of Rapallo consigned the island to membership of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later the first Yugoslavia and then the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Hvar’s latest (and one would hope permanent) change of master occurred on January 15, 1992, when Croatia was recognized as an independent state.
The former Yugoslav army (JNA) attacked Croatia in July 1991, and Hvar was blockaded the following month. The main effects of the blockade were shortages of foodstuffs normally brought from the mainland, such as flour, and a lack of access to hospitals and other medical services.
A ceasefire was signed, and the navy left Sucuraj territorial waters on December 3, 1991.
The situation on the ground in the mainland was dire, with large tracts of Croatia occupied. A steady stream of refugees had to be housed, and a logical supplier of beds was Hvar, devoid of tourists due to the conflict. Refugees, particularly from the front-line town of Vukovar, began to arrive by boat.
The refugee situation deteriorated in 1992 as Croatia took in numerous refugees from the brutal war in Bosnia and Hercegovina. The effect of traumatized refugees replacing affluent tourists was twofold: a severe reduction in revenue and a severe increase in wear and tear in the hotels.
A UN fact-finding mission in August 1992 found that there were 624 displaced persons and 3,727 refugees on Hvar, of whom 1,323 were in private accommodation, the rest in hotels. Usually closed in winter, most of the hotels had no heating installations, which caused problems for the new temporary residents.
With the demographic balance upset in both directions – an increased population during the winter and a decrease in the summer due to a lack of tourists – the hotels were full year-round, which had a negative impact on the condition of the buildings.
The absence of many paying visitors had a devastating effect on the island’s economy, leading to the closure of many cafes and restaurants.
The cafes & restaurants closed due to a lack of electricity (from the occupation of the Peruca dam, the source of hydroelectric power) and difficulties obtaining necessary goods such as coffee, milk, etc., from the mainland. Many of Hvar’s male population were drafted into the defense forces on the front line near Zadar, where one man from Stari Grad was killed, and many more returned suffering from PTSD.
Thankfully, both Hvar and Croatia have recovered well from those dark days. A highly successful marketing campaign under the slogan, Croatia, the Mediterranean as It Once Was, proved very effective, and a new generation of tourists joined the returning older generation to discover the magic of the Adriatic. Hvar was named one of the 10 most beautiful islands in the world by Condé Nast readers back in 1997, and it has never looked back. Major investments in the town’s hotels and the upgrading of cultural treasures such as the Arsenal and the oldest public theatre in Europe has meant that Hvar is once more a major luxury tourism destination on the Croatian coast.
A trail from Hvar leads to Napoleon’s fortress, built in 1812 on top of a 230-meter-high hill above the town of Hvar. Today, Napoleon’s Fortress is home to the Hvar Observatory. The research office is dedicated to astrophysics and has the largest star telescope in Croatia with a one-meter mirror. The trail from Hvar leads along a narrow, steep path through a beautiful pine forest to Napoleon’s Fortress. The fort offers a beautiful view of the town of Hvar and many nearby islands, such as the Pakleni Islands, Vis, Brač, and Solta.
We did not have time to visit this fortress while we were there. The stairs looked daunting, and we had excursions while on the island. I would go back just to explore this Fortress.
The first evening included a sunset sail and swim. The water was not as warm as I expected. Our captain told us to give it a few more weeks, and it would be warming up for the influx of tourists in the busy season, July and August.
Our first full day, we took a high-speed boat tour to the outer islands, including the island and town of Vis.
In 397 BC, Dionysius the Elder, ruler of Syracuse, founded the colony of Issa, known today as Vis.
And like many other posts on my blog since my arrival to Turkyie the history of Vis is of the rise and fall of empires.
Much like the surrounding islands and area, Vis fell to French and then Austrian control. However, following the Battle of Lissa in 1811 (between the British, the French, and the Venetians), British bases were established on the island, including George’s Fortress. As part of the Austrian Empire, Vis became a naval base and was strategically important in a sea battle between the Austrians and Italians in 1866 (with Croatians making up a large number of the sailors on Austrian ships).
During World War II, Vis was the hiding place of partisan/resistance leader Josip Broz Tito, who became leader of Yugoslavia after WWII. During this war, Vis was also a major base for British and Allied troops – there is a British military cemetery on the island. Allied fighter planes were also based there.
A sign in front of a cave on Vis marking the fact that Tito – leader of the Yugoslav Partizan resistance movement during World War II – stayed and worked here in 1944
After 1945, Vis was closed to tourism by the Yugoslav army as it was used as a major naval base. The pictures below show bunkers on the island. They also had a hidden water bunker for any captured submarines.
It was reopened to foreigners only in 1989 and was part of Croatia, which gained independence in 1991. All the navy/military buildings on the island were abandoned at that time, although many of them can be visited today – including the cave in which Tito ‘hid’ in during World War II.
It was a full day of traveling and swimming. I took time in the evening to do what so many others do in Hvar. I walked the waterfront, and people watched. Hvar felt very much like a Mediterranean seaside resort. Don’t misunderstand me, there was so much history here to unravel and understand. But sitting in the main square and on the walkways on a Saturday night was truly a fashion extravaganza. Women were dressed in long luxurious summery gowns, and the men were in full suits. It was such a parade. I enjoyed strolling, sitting, and watching as the parade of people unfolded before me.
The last full day on the island, Zee and I went on a guided kayaking tour. Crossing the main channel from Hvar to the Pakslinski Islands was rough. Waves were coming in one direction, and the wind was blowing from the opposite direction. Big ferries and boats came zipping past. I was pretty exhausted by the time we arrived back in Hvar later in the day. It was quite the ride. Once again, we had this knowledgeable young guide with us who knew so much about Croatia’s history.
After a busy time on this island, we had to say farewell. There was so much to see here and the time felt short. But wait…There are more islands to visit, so sadly we had to say farewell to this island and the people who made it so special.
I realized today that in each place we have visited in Croatia, I have met the nicest people. They are from all over the world. It has helped that most have spoken English. Most people in Croatia begin learning English in grade school.
Enjoy the travel log; as my trip comes to a close, there will be only a few more posts. I hope that you have enjoyed the photos and stories of this trip.
And without fail…A Kitty!
