Hvar's culture and heritage under UNESCO's protection

Need more reasons to visit Hvar? Want more that cristal clear sea, picturesque nature and busy night life? You will be pleasantly surprised to learn that UNESCO has protected 3 wonders of Hvar's rich culture and tradition.


Benedictine nuns aloe lace

Lacemaking in Hvar
Aloe lace is made in Croatia only by Benedictine nuns in the town of Hvar. Thin, white threads are obtained from the core of fresh aloe leaves and woven into a net or other pattern on a cardboard background. The resulting pieces are a symbol of Hvar. View video


Procession in Hvar

Procession Za križen
After mass on Maundy Thursday before the Christian holiday of Easter, each of six villages on the island of Hvar sends out a group that will proceed through the other villages in a circle, covering twenty-five kilometers in eight hours before returning home. Each party in this community-organized Za Krizen (‘following the cross’) procession is led by a cross-bearer. A long-established and inalienable part of Hvar religious and cultural identity, the procession connects the communities of the island to each other and to the world Catholic community.

Lacemaking in Hvar and Procession Za križen have been inscribed on UNESCO Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. For more information, please visit: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00245 and http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00242.


Stari Grad plain

Stari Grad Plain
One of the remains of Hvar history is Stari Grad Plain, one of UNESCO World Heritage sites. This is a cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC. The original agricultural activity of this fertile plain, mainly centering on grapes and olives, has been maintained since Greek times to the present. The site is also a natural reserve. The landscape features ancient stone walls and trims, or small stone shelters, and bears testimony to the ancient geometrical system of land division used by the ancient Greeks, the chora which has remained virtually intact over 24 centuries. For more information on this site, please visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1240.

Be sure to join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates!