Хорватиядағы Хвар қаласы

Town in Split Dalmatia, Croatia

Hvar (Chakavian: For, Φάρος, Pharus and Pharina, ) is a town and port on the island of Hvar, part of Split Dalmatia County, Croatia. The municipality has a population of 4,251 (2011) while the town itself is inhabited by 3,771 people, making it the largest settlement on the island of Hvar. It is situated on a bay in the south coast of the island, opposite from the other nearby towns of Stari Grad and Jelsa. The town of Hvar has a long and distinguished history as center for trade and culture in the Adriatic. A commune, part of the Venetian Empire during the 13th to 18th centuries, it was an important naval base with a strong fortress above, encircling the town walls and protecting the port. Cultural life thrived as prosperity grew, and Hvar is the site of one of the oldest surviving theatres in Europe, opened in 1612. The seven hundred year old walls still survive, as do many of the noble houses and public buildings from 15th – 17th centuries. By the 19th century, the port of Hvar was no longer a military base, and The Hygienic Society of Hvar (Higijeničko društvo u Hvaru), celebrating 150 years in 2018, took the economy of the town and the island in a new direction. As one of the earliest "tourist boards" in Europe, it was founded in 1868 with the purpose of providing "good care for visitors". Today, the town has a variety of hotels, galleries, museums, and exhibitions, including the Arsenal, Loggia, the Croatian Institute, and the Hvar Heritage Museum with its art and archaeological collections. The port of Hvar, set in a picturesque natural bay, with the Pakleni Otoci island chain protecting it to the south, is a safe haven for boats year round. The town is a common port of call for yachts sailing around the Adriatic, especially in the summer months. There are regular catamaran ferry services from the port between Hvar and Split, Brač, Korčula, Lastovo, and Vis.

The municipality of Hvar covers 7,535 ha, including the town itself and the settlements of Brusje (pop. 194), Jagodna (pop. 30), Velo Grablje (pop. 7), Milna (pop. 104), Zaraće (pop. 14) and Sveta Nedilja (pop. 131). The old settlements of Malo Grablje and Zaraće are no longer inhabited. Population figures from the 2011 census. now provides quick and easy access between the north and south. The coastline is mostly steep and indented, with small gravel beaches in the bays. The Pakleni Otoci and the island of Galešnik at the entrance to the port of Hvar are protected landscape areas.

The earliest known settlement on the site of today's Hvar town was Illyrian, lying on the hill slopes to the north side of the town square, which was then a small bay that came up to where the cathedral now stand, moreover (Ben) the cathedral is entirely surrounded by streets which resemble that of a block system common to American and Roman roads. On the site of the present Spanish Fortress stood a hillfort, the importance of which can be seen in the pottery from the site, indicating long distance trade from the eighth century B. C. onwards. The ancient Greeks founded the settlement of Faros (384 BC) on the north of the island, from where they could control the fertile agricultural area, now known as the Stari Grad Plain. It has been proposed that there was concurrently a second Greek settlement called Heraclea, on the site of today's Hvar town. With the arrival of the Ancient Romans around 2nd century BC, settlement on the island was expanded. Colonisation was mainly rural, based around Roman villas (villae rusticae). During the 7th–8th centuries, the Slavs arrived on the island. At this time, life on the coast was not safe due to raiding pirates, and the inhabitants moved inland.

Hvar Town is encircled on its land side by protective walls, and overlooked by two massive fortresses set on the hills above. The fortifications were commissioned by the Venetians in 1278, to create a haven for their fleet, and have been expanded in the centuries since. Within the walls, the public buildings and palaces combine Venetian architectural style, with a distinct local flavour in materials and workmanship. Much of the old town survives intact, in both layout and architecture, though more modern housing has developed in the surrounding areas. The town walls date from the 13th century and, with later additions and renovations, stretch from the fortress down to the square where they join the third wall in an east–west direction. This wall is practically camouflaged by a series of patrician houses built into it. The walls are interspersed with four cornered side towers, the construction of which lasted, with essential repairs, from the 13th to the 16th century. The current fortress Fortica, also known as Tvrđava Španjola (Spanish Fort) was constructed following the gunpowder explosion in 1579 which devastated the old fortress. The lower Paladini palace was built by the galley commander and knight Nikola Paladini in the floral Gothic style at the end of the 15th century. In 1870, the owner, doctor Dominik Gazzari changed the façade and the palace got its present look in the 19th century on the basis of Vičenco Kovačević's design. The ground floor and the disposition of windows on the floors were changed. This palace used to be called "summer palace", because before it was reconstructed there had been more rooms on the north side, which protected them from the summer heat. Palace Užižić, earlier known as the Hektorović Palace incorrectly, was built about 1463 in floral Gothic style, at the place of the early Gothic house from the end of the 14th century, which is preserved within the present palace. It was built above the southern city wall, with a façade richly ornamented with single and triple lancet windows. The palace did not block the passage through the street in accordance with the Duke's decree. Members of the old noble family Užižić served as municipal officials performing various official duties. The palace remained unfinished for more than 500 years. Central St. Stephen's square in the or Piazza is the largest square in Dalmatia. Originally it was a deep bay which was filled with rocks for centuries until it got its present dimensions. Subsequently, it was a space between two fortified cities: Groda on the north and Burg in the south. By the 15th century Piazza was formed with the cathedral in the east and sea in the west. It used to be wider than it is presently but due to shortage of space in the fortified city, houses were built on the northern part of Piazza in front of the city walls. Communal well in the center of Piazza dates from 1520. Piazza was fully paved in 1780. On the southern wall towards the main square two gates were opened out of which the western one has the monumental portal in the Gothic style. It is called the Main Gate (Porta Maestra) and the Gate of the Palmtree (Porta del datallo) from the 15th century. In the 16th century this gate was also called the Market Gate (Porta del mercato).