We moved to the island of Hvar in Croatia in April 2023 as I was starting a new job here. A complete lifestyle change from a large city to an island on the Adriatic coast. Something we have wanted to try for a while and now the chance was there. We celebrated my birthday with friends and family in Vienna at the end of March, said goodbye to the city we lived in for three years, packed all our things, and headed south. Off to a new country and new (island) adventure...
What is it about Croatia? As for the facts, the country has a geographical size of 56 594 km2, has just under 4 Million inhabitants, has been part of the EU since 2023 and has a whopping total of 1,244 natural island formations, of which 78 are true islands, 524 are islets, 642 are cliffs and reefs. 49 of these islands are permanently inhabited, all of which are located relatively close to the shore. And Hvar , our destination is one of those 49, located in the region of Dalmatia with Split being the closest larger town and airport hub. The island is often called “sunny Hvar“ due to the annual average of 2726 hours of sunshine per year, that's 127 days of sun altogether! So far, so good :)
Hvar is among the 10 most visited islands in Croatia. And history has left numerous traces on Hvar, perhaps more than on any other Adriatic island, due to its exceptionally significant location in the center of main nautical pathways. The first proof of life goes back to the pre-historic age and the City of Pharos in the area of todayʼs Stari Grad was founded by Ionian Greeks in 385 B.C. In 219 B.C. Hvar was conquered by the Romans, who had left a rich heritage of country mansions on the island.
The arrival of Croatians in the early Middle Ages marked another significant stage in the development of the island. After they accepted Christianity, it started to spread into all the layers of the society and such traditions have been preserved even until today. In 1420, Hvar was then conquered by the Venetians who selected the city of Hvar as the main port for their seagoing projects.
After the Venetians, Hvar was a part of Austria. It must be pointed out that in 1686 a group of people from Hvar founded a professional tourist association called the ʼHygienic Society of Hvarʼ whose goal was to promote and develop the tourist offer of Hvar.
Therefore, this year is taken as the beginning of organised tourism on the island. In the years after WWII, Hvar turned into a fashionable tourist seaside resort and thanks to its interesting history and rich culture, which was under the influence of various civilizations, and its unsurpassable natural beauty, Hvar became one of the most attractive tourist destinations on the Adriatic. Since 1991, Hvar has been a part of the independent Republic of Croatia and has become the main focus of the general Croatian tourist offer.
So much for the history of the island. This collection of ideas is here to guide you to explore traces of all of this, which we put together. Everything here has been experienced by ourselves and is our personal recommendation.
