HVAR ESTATES CROATIA, Real Estate Specialists for the Island of Hvar
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Hvar Places
Stari Grad
Stari Grad (Old Town), on the Hvar Island northern coast, is older than Hvar town and is also very attractive. Stari Grad lies along a horseshoe-shaped bay with the old quarter on the southern side of the horseshoe.
Road signs around Stari Grad note a secondary name, 'Faros', a reference to the Greek colony that was founded here in 385BC. The local population resisted Greek rule but the Greek navy from Issa (present day Vis) defeated the islanders in one of the oldest historically confirmed navy battles.
The Romans ousted the Greeks in 219BC, and razed the town. Later, Slavs settled the town and it became the political and cultural capital of the island until 1278, when the bishopric moved to Hvar town. The town occupied itself with navigation and shipbuilding, and in the 16th century the poet Petar Hektorović built a mansion here which is one of the many highlights of a visit to Stari Grad.
Although most ferries connecting Hvar island to the mainland list Stari Grad as their port of call, in fact the town is a couple of kilometres north-east of the ferry dock.
