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Hvar (in the local dialect: Hvor or For, Greek: Pharos, Latin: Pharus and Pharina, Italian: Lesina) is a city port on the island of Hvar, within the Split-Dalmatia County of Croatia. The municipality of Hvar has a population of 4,251 (2011) while the city itself is inhabited by 3,771 people, making it the largest settlement on the island of Hvar.
The earliest known inhabitants were Illyrians, who had a settlement on the hill slopes to the north side of the town square, on a small bay that came up to where the cathedral now stands.
Around 384 BC, Greeks from the island of Pharos, invited by the Sicilian despot Dionysius the Elder, began to colonize the island, with a settlement on the site of today's Starigrad, which they named Pharos, in order to control the fertile agricultural area, now known as the Stari Grad Plain. It believed that there was concurrently a second Greek settlement called Heraclea, on the site of today's Hvar town. Ancient Hvar also witnessed the earliest recorded naval of the Adriatic, between a Greek fleet under the command of the eparch of Issa and the native Illyrian tribe of the Liburni, who were defeated and thus lost control of the area.
With the arrival of the Romans around 2nd century BC, settlement of the island was increased, but remained mainly rural, based around Roman villas (villa rusticae).
In the early Medieval era, Croats from Neretva valley region moved to Hvar, and for a time the island was controlled by the Duke of Neretva dukedom and later became part of Croatian kingdom. At this time, life on the coast was not safe because of raiding Saracens and pirates, and the inhabitants moved inland. By the Medieval period, the population was gathered in villages well away from the coast for safety.
Following this unsettled period, the islanders asked the Venetian Republic for protection in 1278. As part of the agreement, the southern settlement of Hvar was to be expanded and fortified as a safe base for the Venetian fleet. As the new administrative centre, the town assumed the name of Hvar, and the ancient Greek town became known as Stari Grad (literally Old Town). Hvar became the centre of the independent commune government, the residence of the prince, and the base of the new diocese (consisting of Hvar, and the neighboring islands of Brač, and Vis). The Republic of Venice thus controlled the island during the period between 1278 – 1358, after which it became a part of the Hungarian-Croatian kingdom. After a short time of acknowledging the sovereignty of the Bosnian kings, it again fell under the control of the Venetian republic for the period 1420 – 1797. The Venetians commissioned the construction of a new fortress, town walls, public buildings, and with the new prosperity, villages were gradually established along the nearby coastline.
By the 15th century, the town had become too confined within the old walls, so settlement extended onto the hill to the south. The medieval town was bounded to the east by the cathedral and to the west by the Arsenal, the Governor's Palace and marina. During this time, Hvar was the centre of the economic, political and cultural life on the island, and played an important role in Venetian shipping. Hvar Town and its nobles maintained close cultural and economic links with Trogir - refer to document here for further details and a list of nobles.
The 16th century brought a return to more unsettled times, with persistent conflicts between the nobles and citizens, and repeated attacks from the Ottoman Empire, which was by now occupying the mainland. In 1571, Hvar was sacked by the Turkish fleet, commanded by Uluj Ali , on its way to the Battle of Lepanto, and only the fortress saved the townspeople. Just as the town was being rebuilt, it suffered further damage in 1579 as lightning struck the gunpowder magazine in the fortress. Many of the public buildings in Hvar today date back to this period of reconstruction..
In 1776, the Venetians moved their naval base, away from Hvar to Kotor on the mainland, and the town of Hvar stagnated. In 1797, Hvar fell under Austrian rule until the arrival of the French in 1806. The Austrians reoccupied the island in 1813 and retained control of it until the end of the First World War, this was a period of exceptional economic and cultural life for the town. In 1868, "The Hygienic Association of Hvar" was founded, to promote the development of tourist services. From 1918 to 1921 the island of Hvar was under Italian rule and in 1921 joined the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, which was later called the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and succeeded by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after the Second World War. The island was modernized in the second half of the 20th century, with all the positive and negative aspects of the modern age. Hvar obtained a new administrative position in the territorial reorganization that took place after the recognition of Croatia as an independent state on January 15th, 1992.
The information below was extracted from an article entitled THE CENSUS OF THE ISLAND OF HVAR FROM 1673 by Nevenka Bezić-Božanić, published in the magazine Čakavska rič, Split 1991, br.1.Care must be taken when referencing this document, as the original document dating back to 1673 was simply a list covering the distribution of salt to all the households on the island of Hvar. Each household was identified (usually) by the surname and name of the head of the household, occasionally only nicknames were used. This was not a formal census as we understand it, there are missing surnames, and the document has rather obvious transcription and translation errors.The partial and rather haphazard attempt made to translate the recorded surnames into their modern Croatian equivalents should not be relied upon. A number of the nobles as well as a few patricians of Hvar had houses also in Starigrad and elsewhere, so the same surnames (or similar) will be found among the lists for the other settlements on Hvar. It should be noted that the surname "Gariboldi" is missing from this "census" despite the mention of the surname in other historical sources.
Information extracted from Rosenfeld - Der Adel des Königreichs Dalmatien, 1871'
Hvar (in the local dialect: Hvor or For, Greek: Pharos, Latin: Pharus and Pharina, Italian: Lesina) is a city port on the island of Hvar, within the Split-Dalmatia County of Croatia. The municipality of Hvar has a population of 4,251 (2011) while the city itself is inhabited by 3,771 people, making it the largest settlement on the island of Hvar.
The earliest known inhabitants were Illyrians, who had a settlement on the hill slopes to the north side of the town square, on a small bay that came up to where the cathedral now stands.
Around 384 BC, Greeks from the island of Pharos, invited by the Sicilian despot Dionysius the Elder, began to colonize the island, with a settlement on the site of today's Starigrad, which they named Pharos, in order to control the fertile agricultural area, now known as the Stari Grad Plain. It believed that there was concurrently a second Greek settlement called Heraclea, on the site of today's Hvar town.
Ancient Hvar also witnessed the earliest recorded naval of the Adriatic, between a Greek fleet under the command of the eparch of Issa and the native Illyrian tribe of the Liburni, who were defeated and thus lost control of the area.
With the arrival of the Romans around 2nd century BC, settlement of the island was increased, but remained mainly rural, based around Roman villas (villa rusticae).
In the early Medieval era, Croats from Neretva valley region moved to Hvar, and for a time the island was controlled by the Duke of Neretva dukedom and later became part of Croatian kingdom. At this time, life on the coast was not safe because of raiding Saracens and pirates, and the inhabitants moved inland. By the Medieval period, the population was gathered in villages well away from the coast for safety.
Following this unsettled period, the islanders asked the Venetian Republic for protection in 1278. As part of the agreement, the southern settlement of Hvar was to be expanded and fortified as a safe base for the Venetian fleet. As the new administrative centre, the town assumed the name of Hvar, and the ancient Greek town became known as Stari Grad (literally Old Town). Hvar became the centre of the independent commune government, the residence of the prince, and the base of the new diocese (consisting of Hvar, and the neighboring islands of Brač, and Vis). The Republic of Venice thus controlled the island during the period between 1278 – 1358, after which it became a part of the Hungarian-Croatian kingdom. After a short time of acknowledging the sovereignty of the Bosnian kings, it again fell under the control of the Venetian republic for the period 1420 – 1797. The Venetians commissioned the construction of a new fortress, town walls, public buildings, and with the new prosperity, villages were gradually established along the nearby coastline.
By the 15th century, the town had become too confined within the old walls, so settlement extended onto the hill to the south. The medieval town was bounded to the east by the cathedral and to the west by the Arsenal, the Governor's Palace and marina. During this time, Hvar was the centre of the economic, political and cultural life on the island, and played an important role in Venetian shipping. Hvar Town and its nobles maintained close cultural and economic links with Trogir - refer to document here for further details and a list of nobles.
The 16th century brought a return to more unsettled times, with persistent conflicts between the nobles and citizens, and repeated attacks from the Ottoman Empire, which was by now occupying the mainland. In 1571, Hvar was sacked by the Turkish fleet, commanded by Uluj Ali , on its way to the Battle of Lepanto, and only the fortress saved the townspeople. Just as the town was being rebuilt, it suffered further damage in 1579 as lightning struck the gunpowder magazine in the fortress. Many of the public buildings in Hvar today date back to this period of reconstruction..
In 1776, the Venetians moved their naval base, away from Hvar to Kotor on the mainland, and the town of Hvar stagnated. In 1797, Hvar fell under Austrian rule until the arrival of the French in 1806. The Austrians reoccupied the island in 1813 and retained control of it until the end of the First World War, this was a period of exceptional economic and cultural life for the town. In 1868, "The Hygienic Association of Hvar" was founded, to promote the development of tourist services. From 1918 to 1921 the island of Hvar was under Italian rule and in 1921 joined the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, which was later called the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and succeeded by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after the Second World War. The island was modernized in the second half of the 20th century, with all the positive and negative aspects of the modern age. Hvar obtained a new administrative position in the territorial reorganization that took place after the recognition of Croatia as an independent state on January 15th, 1992.
The information below was extracted from an article entitled THE CENSUS OF THE ISLAND OF HVAR FROM 1673 by Nevenka Bezić-Božanić, published in the magazine Čakavska rič, Split 1991, br.1.Care must be taken when referencing this document, as the original document dating back to 1673 was simply a list covering the distribution of salt to all the households on the island of Hvar. Each household was identified (usually) by the surname and name of the head of the household, occasionally only nicknames were used. This was not a formal census as we understand it, there are missing surnames, and the document has rather obvious transcription and translation errors.The partial and rather haphazard attempt made to translate the recorded surnames into their modern Croatian equivalents should not be relied upon. A number of the nobles as well as a few patricians of Hvar had houses also in Starigrad and elsewhere, so the same surnames (or similar) will be found among the lists for the other settlements on Hvar. It should be noted that the surname "Gariboldi" is missing from this "census" despite the mention of the surname in other historical sources.
Information extracted from Rosenfeld - Der Adel des Königreichs Dalmatien, 1871'