It was another busy and varied year on Europe’s sunniest island of Hvar in Croatia. A year in review on December 28, 2016.
1. Arsenal Excavation Completed, Roman Artefacts Discovered Under Hvar Town Arsenal
Hvar first made the national headlines in the first week of 2016, with a story from underground. Already one of the most historic buildings in Dalmatia, the Arsenal on the corner of Hvar Town’s main square, which houses Europe’s oldest public theatre on the first floor, revealed more secrets below. What started out as a renovation of the ground floor revealed past treasures hidden below, which led to a full archaeological dig, and with some spectacular results. Read more here.
2. Stunning Hvar Into the Storm Timelapse by Romulic and Stojcic
"Hvar – into the storm" | Official trailer from Romulic & Stojcic on Vimeo.
Hvar, the sunniest island in Europe. People talk about the weather on Hvar more than we British back home, and even when the trademark blue skies are not in evidence, the weather is spectaclar. Timelapse maestros Mario Romulic and Drazen Stojcic produced a stunning video of a Hvar where the sun didn’t shine. Hvar into the Storm quickly went viral on its first release, but then even more so when it was chosen as the video for Croatia’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest – Nina Kraljic’s Lighthouse. It has been watched more than five million times.
3. Replanting the Dalmatian Pine and the Rise of Island Activists
Away from the tourists and the crowds, 2016 was a year of youthful energy and activism on Hvar, with several excellent initiatives bearing fruit and giving hope for a better future. High above the beaches, NGO Sustainable Island led the way, with a tree-planting initiative to boost the population of the indigenous Dalmatian Pine, a distinctive local tree, whose numbers have been decimated in recent years. The initiative brought together a number of willing island volunteers, who were rewarded not only with a successful project, but also with some truly spectactular views from Hvar on high. The efforts of Sustainable Island, which also organised the Humac Eco-Ethno Festival, were matched by other initiatives, such as the group PlatFORma in Hvar Town who raised the cultural offering, and Pokret Otoka, a movement to connect the islands and improve live for its inhabitants, while Eco Hvar continued its work on the environment and warnings on the use of pesticides.
4. Celebrating the Carnival
The tourist season was still some way away, but already Hvar residents were partying, and one of the most colourful and jolliest times of year is the annual pre-Lent Carnival celebrations. In addition to performances by the kindergartens and schools, there is always a political sketch, and this year proved no exception. There was always only going to be one topic in Jelsa – the Communist Christmas star which dominated the national headlines when a five-pointed star was removed in preference to a more politically correct Star of Bethlehem. That chap with the pink t-shirt and bottle of Lasko looked strangely familiar. Read more here.
5. Easter – a Magical and Holy Time on Hvar
Easter is one of the most important celebrations on Hvar, a time when the island wakes up from its winter hibernation, extended families return to the island to celebrate this important religious feast, and where Jelsa’s 500 year-old UNESCO Za Krizen procession takes place simultaneously with processions in Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirce, Vrbanj and Vrboska. The 22km pilgrimage through the night was once again well attended, with the exhausted cross-bearer running the final steps to the awaiting priest on Jelsa’s main square, captured in the video above.
6. Stari Grad’s 2400 Birthday Party Started in Brussels – by a Future Prime Minister
2016 was to be the year of Stari Grad, however, as the island’s former capital celebrated its 2400th birthday. Celebrations started far from Hvar, in the European Parliament, where a Croatian MEP presented the town and the connection between Stari Grad, once known as Faros, and the island of Paros in Greece, from where the invading Ancient Greeks hailed. He was not a Croatian MEP for long, for a few months later, Andrej Plenkovic became the third Croatian Prime Minister of the year. Read more here.
7. The Massive Jelsa Facelift Continued
Jelsa is undergoing a period of major change, with several infrastructure projects underway, which should significantly improve the town’s tourist appeal. As work on the expanded main riva continued this winter, most of the projects should be finished by next summer, including the final version of the new town beach, which is a nice addition for those wanting to hit the beach without walking to far. It is located just as the end of the old town, a minute’s walk from the main square. Plans to build a marina have proved a little more contentious.
8. Finally a Quality Resort for Central Hvar – Senses in Vrboska
2016 was a year of great hotel news for the island of Hvar. After years of having poor hotels on offer, Central Hvar finally unveiled a four-star quality offering, as the two-star Hotel Adriatic in Vrboska underwent a complete overhaul, and reappeared as the Senses Resort in early June. Not only was the hotel an instant hit, it was fully booked until the end of September, finally closing its doors at the end of October. Take a tour here.
9. Pharos, bayhill hvar hotel, the First Millennial Hotel on Hvar Opens
Hvar Town had a hotel renovation story of its own. After years of financial problems, it seems that leading hotel group Suncani Hvar has turned the corner, and small improvements were to be noticed in all the hotels, with the biggest change reserved for the complete makeover of the two-star Hotel Pharos, which was transformed into the island’s first millennial hotel, Pharos, bayhill hvar hotel. A look at the opening night here.
10. Four Seasons – Four Seasons Announces Luxury Hotel and Villa Resort on Hvar
But the hotel announcement of the year was reserved for Stari Grad, where Four Seasons Hotels announced a luxury 120-room hotel and 60 villas to be built in a complex on the Kabal Peninsula just north of the town, in Brizenica Bay. The Croatian President paid a visit to the hotel showroom at Apolon, where she was given a virtual tour of the development. The hotel is planning a 2019 opening.
11. The Largest Incentive Event in the History of Hvar Delights 650 Dutch Guests
Hvar’s private tour operators had another busy season, and there were some great success stories, the most impressive of which perhaps was that of Hvar Tours and Intours, which put on the largest incentive event in the history of Hvar tourism, with some 650 guests on a quite spectacular programme. The video of the event will be out shortly, and it is well worth watching. Read more about the event here.
12. Farewell to Zlatan Plenkovic, Legend of Modern Croatian Winemaking
He was a Titan, a colossus of the Croatian wine scene, and a true Hvar legend. The island was in shock at the news of the sudden death on the Split-Stari Grad ferry of one of Croatia’s most famous, most decorated and most influential winemakers, as Zlatan Plenkovic, founder of Zlatan Otok, passed away at the age of 68. Read the TCN tribute here.
13. A Strong Year for Hvar Winemakers, and a Quality London Addition
Despite the devastating loss of Zlatan, it was otherwise another year of progress for Hvar’s winemakers on the national and international stage. Most stunning achievement of the year goes to Vina Caric, which not only opened their new konoba on Vrboska’s picturesque canal, but also managed to get a three-star Michelin restaurant in Holland to build a menu around the Caric Plovac Ploski. And back home, there was a great addition to the Hvar Wine Association, as Master of Wine Jo Ahearne unveiled her Ahearne Rosina from Darnekusa grapes. Look out for the Ahearne Plavac Mali 2014 which should be available in the New Year.
14. Fantastic Innovations for 2016 – Live Snake Exhibition
Hvar always seems to attract unusual exhibitions, and I will confess that I was a little surprised when I heard of a planned live snake exhibition in Stari Grad. Would that really be interesting for tourists coming to an island for beach holidays and sunshine? It turned out that it was more than a little interesting, and a smash hit, and the expert explanations and helpfulness of the dedicated team at the exhibition were appreciated by child and adult alike. Never had a live snake wrapped around you? Check out the video above.
15. Celebrity Hvar 2016 – That Would be Bono
There were celebrities, but the celebrity story of the summer was posted on U2’s official Facebook page after a celebrity visit to the Pakleni Islands. Read more here.
16. Seaplanes On, Seaplanes Off
Will they, won’t they in 2017? It was a year of frustration for passengers and staff of European Coastal Airlines. When it was good, it was VERY, very good – just 15 mintues to Split downtown and airport, with onward connections as far as Dubrovnik in the south and Italy in the north. After the planes were grounded in peak season following an inspection by the Civil Aviation Authority, one plane briefly took to the skies again, before the airline announced it was suspending operations until the administrative climate improved. Having lost a reported 2 million euro during the three-week grounding in peak season, the airline – which says it will resume operations in early 2017 – is currently suing the Civil Aviation Authority.
17. U smokve, So Much More than a New Restaurant
There were plenty of new restaurants opening up in Hvar Town, Stari Grad, Jelsa and on the south side of the island, including an Englishman offering curry and Chinese with his more traditional Dalmatian fare, but if I had to pick the one which made the most impact, it would have to be the quiet and unassuming U smokve in Jelsa, which opened later in the season (July) without ceremony, but quickly became a hot with locals and tourists, with its healthy and organic fare. But much more than that, U smokve also became a focal point of the town’s social life, even more so when it announced that it would be open six days a week through the winter, and was instrumental in the Christmas food festival in Jelsa. Great food and lots of youthful energy and ideas. Read more here.
18. Stari Grad Days in the Bay
Finally the big day arrived – Stari Grad Turned 2400. Many years have passed since the Ancient Greeks sailed into a deep bay on Hvar in 384BC and founded the settlement of Faros, with an accompanying agricultural colony nearby (today’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Stari Grad Plain). The celebrations were comprehensive during a four-day festival in early September, Days in the Bay. You can get a little of the atmosphere from the video above.
19. An Invitation to The Bench
More a personal highlight, perhaps, but after 13 years of walking past a true bastion of Dalmatian culture, I was finally invited to sit on The Bench in Jelsa. An icon of Dalmatia, the bench is reserved for the wise old elders of the community, who congregate daily to discuss the weighty topics of the day, and an invitation to sit is a true honour. The Bench became a quirky tourist hit, as international bloggers took selfies there, an Australian tourist from Sydney visited the island for a couple of hours just to sit on it, and a band from San Francisco performed live on The Bench and included it in their latest video. What is the potential for bench tourism in 2017?
20. Miki Bratanic Konoba Promotion in USA
While much of Hvar life was understandably centred on the island itself, its various ambassadors were busy spreading the message all over the globe. One of them was author and poet Miki Bratanic from Vrbanj, who was once more in the States promoting the Dalmatian konoba. Read more here.
21. Hvar Dynamite – Hmmm
One of the beautiful things about Hvar has been the lack of building and development, as building regulations are strictly enforced, and indeed the largest construction on Hvar in the last 15 years has been an apartment block of 12 apartments. So it was something of a shock for Hvar Town residents near Hotel Podstine to find huge rocks falling onto the road (and in one case, a house) and blocking the road by the tunnel. When dynamiting goes wrong… Read more here.
22. The Road of Progress from Milna to Velo Grablje
Progress for some, sadness for others. Whatever you think, life in Velo (and particularly) Malo Grablje will never be the same, as after 10 years of promises and an election year looming, the road from Velo Grablje to Milna was finally asphalted. Much more accessible for sure, but is that a good thing? Some of our thoughts on the subject here. Take a drive down the new road above.
23. Stari Grad Nominated for Best Destination in Europe 2017
And just when the year could not get any better for Stari Grad, it was nominated as European Best Destination 2017 by European Best Destinations website. If it wins, will there be the same boom factor as happened with Advent in Zagreb?
24. Christmas Eve on the Sunniest Island in Europe
Christmas is a lot more festive on Hvar these days, and much more effort is put into the entertainment. The traditional Christmas Eve bakalar meal was a little more colourful this year. Read more here.
25. Nocnjak 2017 – a Bumper Start to the New Year
And so another year came to an end, but not before some great news for Hvar for early 2017 tourism, specifically in March, when the island is still usually sleeping. Hotel Hvar in Jelsa will be hosting Nocnjak 2017, the international olive oil congress, with more than 1500 participants expected. Read more here. A great start to 2017 already, which is sure to be another amazing year on Croatia’s permier island.
See you there!
