Hvar - City of Croatia

Hvar 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.

The first inhabitants of Hvar Island were Neolithic people who probably established trade links between Hvar and the eastern shores of the Mediterranean.

In the early Middle Ages, Slavic tribes occupied the island. In the first half of the 7th century the Slavs of Pagania took over the island. Venetian sailors saw the island while sailing towards the Neretva Channel and were threatened by the Narentine pirates from the island. In the 11th century the island joined the Croatian realm.

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 Hektorovic and Hanibal Lucic. In Stari Grad, tourists can see the Petar Hektorovic fortress/villa called Tvrdalj Castle, 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 today's Croatia, Hvar's most famous citizen in the world is football player Igor Tudor , while most famous Croatian deputy in Sabor is from the island of Hvar, Tonci Tadic.