In this episode of Sailing with Thankfulness, we’re exploring the town of Hvar on the island of Hvar. Specifically, we’re going to take a look at one of the finest town fortifications on the entire Croatian coast. It’s well worth a look and, yes, we did end up in the prison at Hvar Fortress.
Episode Notes
The Trek Up To The Hvar Fortress
0:36 Stephen
We’re about to head up to Hvar Fortress and check out the fortifications and the prison.
0:56 Kerry
There’s a thousand steps almost to get up there. Well that’s how it feels anyway. Once you get up there the view is breathtaking. We’ll show you.
1:12 Kerry
So that’s where we’re heading up to the top the fortress. I think we’re walking all the way.
Now, just finding the right way up. That looked like it could be. What do you think?
1:29 Stephen
What about we follow the sign?
1:32 Kerry
Okay.
Of course, we’re not going on an organised tour. We’re doing it ourselves.
Here we go, this is it. Up we go. I’m glad we’re doing this while we’re our of age and not waiting till we’re a little bit older.
So sea level, we were on sea level before and I hope we’re half way up.
2:15 Stephen
Oh, look some more steps.
Construction Of The Hvar Fortress
2:18 Stephen
It took an incredibly long time to build the fortress. Construction began in 1282 when Hvar was under Venetian rule and continued slowly for almost three centuries ending in 1551, the 16th century. Traces of a 6th century A.D. Byzantine chapel can be seen near the fortress. The chapel was built in late antiquity during the reign of emperor Justinian. However the foundations of the current fortress lie on the ruins of an even older fortification dating back to the first half of the first millennium B.C. That’s a two and a half thousand year history.
The Trek Up To The Hvar Fortress Continues
2:59 Stephen
It’s a bit of a hike but we’re here and about to go inside. I’m entering the fortress.
3:29 Stephen
The fortress and the town walls provided centuries of protection to the port and the people of Hvar.
We found some more stairs.
3:49 Kerry
Now we don’t want to stop till we get to the very top right – that’s right?
The Hvar Fortress
4:09 Stephen
The fortress consists of four circular bastions, a tower, walls with battlements, embrasures, gunpowder rooms, water tanks living quarters, a chapel and a dungeon.
4:23 Kerry
This might be where the cannons were and they could easily target ships coming into the harbour. I’d feel pretty safe up here.
4:36 Stephen
In the 16th century, the fortress was manned by a fortress warden and 12 soldiers. On August 19, 1571 the fortification saved the lives of nearly all the local people when the Turks attacked the town and set it on fire. However, a few years later a bolt of lightning struck the gunpowder store causing major damage to both the fortress and the town below.
Zatvor Prison
5:19 Kerry
Wow, at least the view would be good.
5:39 Stephen
Are any of these to your liking or should we find alternative accommodation? Well we’d better hurry back to the bus otherwise we might be sleeping here. It’s quite exclusive. There’s only accommodation for five people.
6:13 Kerry
So if you do get a chance to come to the town of Hvar, even though it looks daunting coming up, it’s really really worth it. I encourage you to do it. If you can’t walk this far get a taxi, a motorbike, hire a scooter or a bike for the day.
This is our reward for walking all the way up and back down. Really good.
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