Hvar, representing a part of the diverse southern Croatian archipelago, formed by numerous islands, since the earliest days has been the subject of special recognition, distinguished by both its natural beauty and its cultural strata. It was chosen by the earliest prehistoric inhabitants because of its pleasant climate and convenient havens and its arble land well-suited for cultivation, as well as for the defense and construction possibilities it offered.

    Greek colonists from the island of Paros already founded a strong urban center on the location of today's Stari Grad in 384-85 B.C.. Later battles between the Illyrians and Romans confirmed the importance and value of this territory, and each of these peoples also left distinctive traces of their presence, ranging from evidence of developed Neolithic activity to the monuments of Classical antiquity.

    The arrival of the Croats in the early Middle Ages substantially altered the ethnic substratum, but it nevertheless represented an organic continuation of existing cultural achievements. Having accepted Christianity, our ancestors effectively placed themselves into the history and art of the Western European sphere.

    Despite all of the social and political changes, the island of Hvar has an uninterrupted continuity of communal self-assertion, artistic activity and a sense of Croatian ethnicity. It could hardly have happened by mere chance that, with the exception of independent Dubrovnik, this island was certainly the greatest center of early Croatian literature and at the same time a privileged domain of architecture, sculpture, painting and music.

    During the Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerism and Baroque periods, representative churches and palaces were erected, valuable pictures and sculptures were obtained, and urban und rural environments of extraordinary form and beauty were created. Croatian cultural figures such as Hanibal Lucic, Petar Hektorovic, Vinko Pribojevic, Miksa Pelegrinovic, Martin Benetovic and Marin Gazarovic lived and worked on Hvar in the 16th and 17th centuries. There were many who tried their hand at various crative disciplines. The summer residences of Lucic and Hektorovic in Hvar and Stari Grad today bear witness to a lively interconnection of art and everyday life, necessity and freedom, and the elite and the common people.

    The agrarian heart of the island, mainly a wine growing district, was for a long time a guarantee of economic prosperity, but is also gave rise to an impressive cultural superstructure, from the Greek land parcelling (the first "centuriation" of public land in history) and the megalithic walls of Pharos, to the outstanding fortifications and the rich "villae rusticae" with their decorative mosaics. There are also Christian churches with marble furniture and weaved ornaments, the authentic urban centers such as Vrboska and Jelsa (with "embryonic" churces/fortresses) or the picturesque peripheral settlements which form a chain from Rudina and Selca to Dol, Vrbanj, Svirce, Vrisnik and Pitve.

    The eastern part of the island, the area of Plame (Poljica, Zastrazisce, Gdinj, Bogomolje and Sucuraj), joined the cultural exchange and permanent colonization somewhat later, but since the earliest days it has ensured contact with the nearby mainland, thus reducing the isolation of the island. On the other hand, the southwestern side of the island, bordered by the romantic string of the Pakleni otoci (Resin Islands) and crowned by the sun-bathed slopes and the thoroughly protected harbor of the town of Hvar, emphasizes a Mediterranean, maritime orientation, and has, since Venetian times, been in close contact with the main cultural flows.

    Seven thousand year of history have left countless imprints on Hvar`s physical and spiritual landscape. Hvar`s museums and collections reveal part of this historical adventure.

The Fortica Hydroarcheological Collection - one of the choicest collections of the ancient amphorae in Croatia.
The Hanibal Lucic Benedictine Art Collection - a collection of paintings, icons and other artifacts and objects of everyday use from the convent treasury.
The Franciscan Art Collection, Franciscan Monastery - includes Hvar`s most valuable collection of old masters, old manuscripts and incunabulae, liturgical vestments, liturgical objects made of precious metals and a collection of ancient Greek, Roman, medieval and modern coins are also displayed.
The Treasury of the the Hvar Cathedral, the Bishop`s Museum - a collection of paintings by old masters, documents, signet rings, liturgical vetments adorned with silver and gold embroidery, and liturgical objects made of precious metals.

    With its balance between rich natural gifts and adequate human attendance, the island of Hvar represents an ideal place of serene living and repose. We feel as though the multi-layered values are inviting us to go a pilgrimage there, and not just feverishly superfically consume them. No matter from which side this town is approached, Hvar straightway presents itself as a monument. Centuries have ground its stone, epochs, above all renaissances, have shaped its appearance.