February the 11th, 2026 – Trg Škor is often hailed as Croatia’s most charming little island square, nestled in the ancient settlement of Stari Grad on Hvar.
As Putni kofer writes, agave lace, klapa singing, magnificent labyrinths of dry stone walls, lavender fields, olive trees and vineyards… Few places in the world can boast the richness of Croatia’s sunniest island, Hvar. Inhabited by humans since prehistoric times, this widely praised Dalmatian jewel is home to Roman villas, Renaissance summer houses, and also has the oldest public theatre in all of Europe, founded way back in 1612 in Hvar Town’s historic core. This remarkable island is never far from the pages of a glossy travel mag or a “Top 10” list, and yet nothing ever quite seems to do it justice.
turning the clock back to 384 bc and the ancient greeks
Stari Grad, however, is very special in its own right. Its historic core and the cultural landscape of the fertile Stari Grad Plain were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008. It was first mentioned way back in 384 BC as the Greek colony of Pharos and is also widely considered the oldest inhabited town in Croatia.
Hvar itself boasts the famous Trg Sv. Stjepana (St Stephen’s Square) or if you’re more local – Pjaca, the largest town square in all of Dalmatia. Its impressive area spans over 4,500 square metres. Stari Grad however will delight you with its numerous squares, of which the most picturesque is by far the absolutely idyllic, baroque Trg Škor.
Small, old, charming and photogenic, this is Croatia’s most charming little island square. It looks like a theatre backdrop, which it actually becomes during the summer when the area is bustling with cultural events. This architectural beauty was created back during the 17th and 18th centuries in the eastern part of Stari Grad, which lies just south of the bay.
croatia’s most charming island square was once home to a shipyard
It was once home to a shipyard, and after they filled it with shallow water, Trg Škor itself was formed. If you’ve got any deeper knowledge of Croatian, you might have worked out that it got its name from the word škver, which in the means shipyard in the Dalmatian dialect. In the modern day, this beautiful little space is surrounded by traditional Dalmatian workers’ houses with their typical Renaissance and Baroque stylistic features. Features of the local folk architecture of the island of Hvar are also scattered in.
These tough old stone houses, which are assumed to have been built between the 16th and 19th centuries, are adorned with stone terraces with staircases. Considering that today it represents a completely perfectly preserved urban entity from the 17th and 18th centuries, Croatia’s most charming island square quite deservedly bears the status of a protected cultural asset and is Stari Grad’s local slice of pride.
Today, this beautiful square is paved with polished old stone in a contemporary design with circular motifs, while the traditional stone slabs arranged in rows have been preserved only along the northern row of houses. Therefore, it is assumed that Trg Škor once had an earthen surface on which construction activities related to the shipyard were carried out. Today, it is walked through by countless feet, particularly during the height of the summer tourist season.
