Hvar Town, Croatia

On the same-named island in Croatia's Split-Dalmatia County sits the town and port of Hvar. The town is the largest settlement on the island of Hvar, with 3,771 residents, while the municipality has 4,251 (2011) residents. It is located across from the neighboring towns of Stari Grad and Jelsa on a harbor on the island's south shore.The town of Hvar has a long and illustrious history as an Adriatic cultural and commercial hub. With a powerful stronghold above that surrounded the town walls and guarded the port, this commune, which was a part of the Venetian Empire from the 13th to the 18th century, was a significant naval base.[4] As wealth increased, so did cultural life, and one of Europe's oldest theaters still standing, which inaugurated in 1612, is located in Hvar.The walls, which date back seven hundred years, as well as numerous public structures and noble homes from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries, are still standing.The Hygienic Society of Hvar (Higijeničko društvo u Hvaru), which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018, changed the course of the town's and the island's economy once the port of Hvar was no longer used as a military post in the 19th century. It was established in 1868 with the goal of offering "good care for visitors" and was one of the first "tourist boards" in Europe. The Arsenal, Loggia, the Croatian Institute, and the Hvar Heritage Museum with its art and archeological collections are only a few of the town's many hotels, galleries, museums, and exhibitions today.Located in a charming natural bay and shielded to the south by the Pakleni Otoci island series, the port of Hvar provides a year-round safe refuge for boats. Particularly during the summer, the village is a popular port of call for yachts traveling the Adriatic. The port of Hvar has frequent catamaran ferry services to Split, Brač, Korčula, Lastovo, and Vis.