PHAROS - THE ANCIENT CITY OF STARI GRAD
PHAROS
THE ANCIENT CITY OF STARI GRAD,
Island of Hvar, Croatia
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Croatia has a rich cultural heritage dating from all historical periods, from
early Prehistoric times onwards. Stari Grad on the island Hvar is situated near
a large fertile field. It is a typical example of cultural continuity, from an
Illyrian settlement, a Greek polis, a Roman municipality, a Croatian Medieval
and Renaissance town, to a modern centre of the island.
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The Greek settlement, Pharos, located on the site of today's Stari Grad, was
founded during the 99th Olympic Games (385/4. B.C.) by immigrants coming from
the island of Paros in the Aegean. They fortified the town with huge stone
blocks which fascinate today's visitors to the island. As an autonomous polis,
the land was partitioned so that today Hvar has the best preserved Greek
cadaster in the Mediterranean. With time, the Greek system and way of life in
Pharos was replaced by the achievements of the Roman civilization. Pharos
partook in the historical developments of Antiquity and later became a
prominent early Christian centre. After necessary partitioning and adaptions,
early Christian edifices continued to be used in sacral services during the
transitional period, from Antiquity into the Middle Age.
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Archaeological research undertaken by the Regional Instutut for the Protection
of Historic Monuments brought to light segments of the Ancient city of Stari
Grad: town walls, municipal and private edifices, their mosaic ornaments,
inscriptions, coins, every day objects such as vessels, various utensils,
pieces of clothes, jewelry... During centuries, the people of Hvar, especially
those from Stari Grad, have valued and cared for their cultural heritage. As a
living urban organism Stari Grad is always being confronted with its
centuries-old past. The town offers visitors its cultural wealth in situ, on
preserved archaeological sites, in local collections and even more through its
Summer Schools and Courses which are open to the education of the youth and
young experts.
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The Croatian Commission for UNESCO/ Ministry of culture, has recently joined
the Youth Workshop programme. Croatia takes part in the UNESCO project "Young
People's Participation in World Heritage Preservation and Promotion" which was
founded by the World Heritage Centre and the Associated Schools Project. So
far, schools from Croatian world heritage towns, such as Dubrovnik and Split,
have participated in the project. The wepansion of the project on a national
and international levels has enabled other schools, professors and pupils to
extend their knowledge of history and heritage. Therefore, the workshop in
Stari Grad on the island of Hvar were conceived as summer camps which would
offer young people additional education ih these fields and skills necessary
for a better preseravation of heritage and for a deeper understanding of
history.
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The Internet workshop, which will be conducted in cooperation with the Ministry
of Science and Technology of the Republic of Croatia and the citizens of Stari
Grad, will give the project a more pronounced international character. Having
in mind the International Summer School, organized by the Croatian String
Teachers Association, which has been active in Stari Grad for several years now,
and the newly founded Summer seminars on conservation of textile and painting
in the town of Hvar, one can say, that the island of Hvar is becoming an
important cultural destination for secondary school pupils and students from
all parts of Croatia and the world.