Island of Hvar

The island`s elongated shape is its unchanging determinant, accentuated by the pointed end on the side facing the Dalmatian mainland, 6 km away. On this side the tip of the island almost pierces into the wide delta of the river Neretva.

The shape resembles an awl, as it is reflected in Lesina, one of the island`s Italian names. To some, it also resemblesa flint stone dagger, as poet had observed. At the tip of the degger lies Sućuraj (Sveti Juraj=st.George), and opposite end is cape Pelegrin. They were named after the small medieval churches, built at the opposite tips of the island. The holy knight George, killing the dragon with a spear, was a saint and a patron of pilgrims. The church devoted to Pelegrin, at the island`s tip open to the Adriatic Sea, was the first the piligrims on the galleys spotted on their long voyage from Venice to the Holy Land.

Lying between these two endpoints is the island, green from the pines and olive trees, grey from the washed-out stone, red from the soil and white from the labours of human hands that had hor thousands of years stacked the stones into piles and buildings, bringing order to the wild beauty of God`s creation.

Hidden by luscious green of the pine forests on the island`s north side and surrounded by lovely sandy coves lies Jelsa one of the newer settlements on this ancient island. In 14th century it was only a harbour for the nearby village of Pitve, but in 16th century its population already reached 1,000 inhabitants. Its name, Jelsa, derives from the Slav words jolha or jelha, which means alder tree. All historic sources mention the abundance of good drinking water in Jelsa. The deep green shades of the town`s spacious park, unsual for Dalmatia`s dry islands, continue to be a proof of this to this day.

Vrboska-traces of the village originate in the 15th century, as from very early in it was the port for the nearby village of Vrbanj. On each side of a narrow streat, ending in a stream bridged with three smal bridges, stand a row of stone houses. The village has a small artificial island perched in the strait. It is best known for the now abandoned sardine cannery (a monument to the late 19th century attempt at industrialisation), the Fishermen s Museum and a church-fortress, standing guard over the village and everything in it.

Terraces supported by draywalls, which protect the precious soil from torrents, rise in a ring-like fashion from the green valley of Svirče village towards the hilltop where Vrisnik village is situated. Over the lower terraces spread out vineyards, after that come olive groves, then houses further up the hill and on the top stands the 17th century church of St. Anthony with its cementery, accessed through the alley of old cypress trees.

The name of the village of Vrisnik derives from vrijes a Mediterranean bush of characteristic sweet scent that once covered the hill. On the south side of Vrisnik, rises mount Gvozd (534m altitude). The scenary is a picturesque combination of a serene valley, a gentle hill and rugged rocks up high.

Pitve lies amidst a dramatic landscape made up of steep rock and ravines, overshadowed by forest, just below the cliff called Samotorac, at the entrance to Vratnik pass. Life in this very old settlement goes back to the early Middle Ages when the Slavs arrived on the island but the village, as some authors claim, might be even much older. The name, Pitve is one of the few toponyms on the island not derived from Slav words. The village is divided into two parts, the older Gornje Pitve (upper) and the newer Donje Pitve (lover). Between Gornje and Donje Pitve stand the buildings important for the communit`s life: the church of St.Jacob, built in 1887 at the site of a medieval one, the former reading room and community hall, a deserted school, and somewhat apart the cemetery surounded by the cypress trees. The view is magnificent: green bays of Jelsa and Vrboska, the large plain and in the distance the island of Brač and the grey massif of the highest Dalmatian mountain Biokovo, often covered in snow. In the pass where the stream had dried up long ago are still visible dams built in Austrian times, and Higher above is a tunnel leading to the south side of island, cut some forty years ago through the island`s ridge, but not fortified by concrete, looking as if some huge ancient worm had eaten it away.

Humac-this vilage situated to the east of Jelsa was a seasonal dwelling for the people of Vrisnik at the time of field works, and it is the best-preserved traditional village on the island of hvar.
Simple rural architecture with rudiments of urban planning show the islanders innate strife to design the functional world according to the canons of beauty. A konoba (restaurant), managed by a young couple, is the measure of the island`s hospitality.

The emergence of Sv.Nedjelja, settlement on Hvar`s south side, is intimately tied to the magnificent cave, situated approximatly 100m above the village,just below Sv.Nikola, the highest peak on the island (628m altitude). Numerous archeological finding have confirmed that the cave was inhabited as early as the Neolitic era. In 16th century it was theshelter for the hermits of the Augustine order. With the passing of time, a settlement grew below the cave made up of colonists working on the monastery land. The monastery closed down in 1787 and in 19th century the village became an independent parish. For many years after the Augustine monks had left, the inhabitans of Sv. Nedjelja continued to bury their dead in the monastery cementerylocated in the cave.

On the sunny south side of the island`s ridge, halfway between Hvar and stari Grad, lies Velo Grablje, village whose name originated from the Croatian grab, standing for a deciduous tree (hornbeam). It was built as a sherpherds`shelter. In the 19th century local hardworking peasants redesigned most of the ridge near the village by building small terraces of fertile land to grow vineyards. The village population at the time counted 500 people. The vineyards were abonded and replanted with lavander in the 1930s. These , however, burned down. The present population is aproximately 20 people.

Island of Hvar

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Island of Hvar

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