Sail and Bike Croatia / Hvar

Panorama Stephansplatz and surroundings
The elongated Stephansplatz between Arsenal and Loggia is with its area of 4.500m2 the largest square in Dalmatia. It leads into the impressive Sveti Stjepana Cathedral, which dominates the square with its 16th century Renaissance façade and five-storey bell tower. Next to the church is the Archbishop's Palace, the seat of the bishops of Hvar since its construction in 1249.

City loggia and clock tower on the left side of the picture
At the harbour opposite the Arsenal, the last remains of the once spacious residence of the city commander are still enthroned today. The Stadtloggia was integrated into the former Kurhotel Empress Elisabeth at the beginning of the 20th century.

The arsenal and theatre on the right in the picture
The first municipal theatre in Europe was opened in 1612 in the Venetian arsenal directly at the port of Hvar. The then prince Semitecolo succeeded in making a brilliant move to finally create peace between the nobility and the common people. At that time Hvar still had about twice as many inhabitants as today, many of whom belonged to the wealthy aristocracy. To this day, the inhabitants of Hvar have held on to their theater - and the times were as bad as they may have been. Today the theatre can be visited at the 19th century architecture stand, the best occasion for this is of course a performance by a local folk music group.