HVAR

:''For the acronym, see 'HVAR'.''
'Hvar' (''Lesina'' in Italian; ''Phar'' in German) 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.

Contents

Geography

History

Economy

Names of the island

Sources

External links

Geography

Hvar Island is administratively part of the Split-Dalmatia County in Dalmatia, Croatia. It 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. Along the southern coast of the island there are several smaller islands, notably the Paklenski Otoci in the west and the Šćedro island in the south.
It covers 112 square miles with fruit growing, cattle raising, and fishing being the main occupations. As of 1991 the estimated population was around 11,400.
The major divisions of the island include:

★ 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 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)

★ 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.

History

The first inhabitants of Hvar Island were Neolithic people who probably established trade links between Hvar and the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. The Hvar Culture lasted from 3500 to 2500 BC.
Beginning in the 4th century BCE, the Greeks colonized the island. During this period the people of Pharos defeated Jadasini warriors and their allies. Their victory over much larger forces is immortalized an inscription, one of the oldest known inscriptions of Croatia.
In the early middle ages, 7th and 8th centuries, Slavic tribes occupied the island, in the 9th century the island fell under Byzantine rule and in the 11th century the Croatian Kings.
Venetian sailors saw the island while sailing towards the Neretva Channel and were threatened by pirates from the island.
In AD 925 the island was incoroporated into the Medieval Croatian state under the crown of King Tomislav.
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 once again, the Croatian Kings. The Venetians returned and stayed from around 1420 to 1797. In the 16th century an uprising occurred between the plebeians and aristocracy, the most serious of the uprising occurred between 1510 and 1514 with the Venetians ruthlessly crushing the locals and sending twenty of their leaders to the hangman. The island became prosperous from boat building, fishing the cultivation of rosemary, lavender and olives.
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 Hektorović fortress/villa called Tvrdalj, 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 Venice fell and Hvar came under Austrian rule until the arrival of the French in 1806.
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 again regained control of the island in the second half of the 19th century and into the beginning of the 20th century bringing a period of relative prosperity. The Italian army occupied the island from 1918 until 1921, when Hvar with the whole of Croatia joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, succeeded by the Republic of Yugoslavia after the Second World War.
Ivan Vučetić, the man who perfected dactyloscopy at the turn of the 20th century, came from Hvar island.
In 1992 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 island of Hvar, Tonči Tadić.

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.

Hvar town is the main tourist center. It features a large public square that is open to the sea. During the tourist season, the port is filled with large yachts. All-night discos attract large crowds of young visitors.
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, from Croatian ''les'' 'forest' (an accurate description of the island at the time); in Venetian, Liesena. The name remained official during Venetian rule.

Sources

★ http://www.hvar-travel.com
A History of the Croats by Ivo Peric

External links

★ Official site of Hvar Island

★ Hvar picture gallery

★ Island-Hvar.info

★ Tourist board of City of Hvar

★ Hvar Island Travel Guide

★ The Island of Hvar

★ The town of Sucuraj on Hvar

★ Adriatic Islands Project: Contact, commerce and colonisation 6000 BC - AD 600

★ Island of Hvar - Sucuraj online