Stari Grad

About Stari Grad

Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, the oldest city in the Republic of Croatia (384 BC), one of the 3 most visited centers of the island, is located at the bottom of the deep 6 km long Starogradska uvala, which is famous for its excellent shelter for ships from the wind, and as such becomes the island’s main terminal ferry port Hvar. The main terminal port for ferries with car transport on the island is located outside the city, while the city itself is located at the bottom of Staro Gradska uvala. Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, at the same time the oldest city in the Republic of Croatia, has a great cultural heritage, beautiful monuments, cultural buildings and religious buildings, and the unmissable Starograjska Vala, through which passes one of the largest landscaped waterfronts, i.e. promenades on the entire Croatian coast. It was built on the site of the former Greek Pharos, and later the Roman Pharia. Along with a handful and abundance of many experiences from ancient and modern times, and monuments of antiquity under UNESCO protection, they form a succuss of experiences of this peaceful and beautiful Mediterranean island city. Numerous bathing areas, horticulture, old ships and ancient finds exhibited in museums make the town of Stari Grad an indispensable part of Hvar tourism and Croatian island and nautical tourism in general.

Peter Hektorović’s castle on the main square of Tvrdalj opposite the palace with a pond along the Staro Grojska waterfront during the summer and seasonal months is an unavoidable promenade for tourists and locals, while at night people enjoy the river, looking back at the multitude of ancient cultural buildings and in Vala, the moored sailboats and boats that the calm sheltered harbor forms the core and very essence of Mediterranean and island tourism in a large city. The offer of restaurants and cafes with selected local Mediterranean food, from basics to exotic seafood and fish delicacies, give the Stari Grad a place in the center of summer European island and coastal events.

Starogradsko polje, a monument under the protection of UNESCO, measuring over 1000ha, and stretching from Stari Grad, Vrboska all the way to Jelsa, is characterized by the Roman cadastral distribution of parcels called “ager romanus”.

The most famous sacral buildings are certainly the Parish Church of St. St. Stephen’s from the 17th century with a bell tower on the eponymous Trg Svetog Stjepana, built on the neglected site of the first Hvar cathedral from the 11th/12th centuries. Petar Hektorović Castle on Tvrdalj Square has been upgraded over time but dates from the 16th century. Dominican monastery from the 14th century, later fortified in the 16th century, remains of the ancient city of Faros, a polis from 384 BC. which was founded by the ancient Greek peoples from Pharos and confirmed the status of the city. Church of St. Ivana, whose location and beginnings date back to the long 5th/6th century, it was extended in the 14th century, and renovated over time until the 19th century. Renaissance Church of St. Roka from the 16th was created on the order and with the financial help of Petar Hektorović, in Roman times the locality was the site of a Roman bathhouse. Trg Škor on the south side, in the center of the Stari Grad from the 16th century, around which the original houses were built, whose construction dates from the 16th to the 19th century.

The Stari Grad, which has been a cultural center for millennia, has inspired the spirit of many individuals and creative people in all areas of life. In art and culture

The Stari Grad keeps pace with the times in a permanent vigilance, organizing events from the preservation of cultural heritage to literary evenings and organizing

exhibitions, theater performances and concerts. The Stari Grad Swimming Marathon is an international sports event. It is connected with friend cities all over the world from various areas.

In the Stari Grad, there is a permanent exhibition of the archaeological museum and a gallery of paintings by the painters Juraj Plančić and Frana Petrić, joined by the painter Magda Dulčić.