Sunday, July 31, 2011

Croatia Day 7 - Spanjola, the Fortress of Hvar


Sadly, this was our last morning on the lovely island of Hvar.  We reluctantly packed our bags and checked out of our room, then began driving around looking for ways to prolong our stay.  We ended up at the castle that overlooks Hvar Town.


It's really more of a fortification than a castle.  Back in the 16th century, it saved the lives of nearly all the townspeople when the Turks attacked, and the site has actually housed fortifications as far back as the 1st millennium BC, when it protected an Illyrian settlement.  The current structure was built between 1282 and 1551, but was abandoned during the 19th century. 


Inside the fortification, there's really not much to see.  There's a room with a collection of amphora (big clay pots) that were salvaged from a shipwreck off the coast of Hvar as well as a section of the prison that's open to visitors, but other than that the main draw is the view of town and the ocean.  Oh, and the big cannons were pretty cool too.


By this point, we were about to get rained on, so we hopped back in the car and drove to the other side of the island to catch the ferry back to the mainland. 

2 comments:

  1. I spent a couple of hours at the Spanjola – the views were outstanding! Did you eat at the restaurant there?
    http://tickingthebucketlist.blogspot.in/2014/09/hvar-spanjola-fortress.html

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  2. We made a quick stop at the Spanjola and didn't take the time to eat. The views were gorgeous though!

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