Stari Grad, Croatia

Stari Grad
Town
Panoramic view of Stari Grad, seen from the bay
Stari Grad Location of Stari Grad in Croatia
Coordinates: 43°11′N 16°35′E / 43.183°N 16.583°E / 43.183; 16.583Coordinates: 43°11′N 16°35′E / 43.183°N 16.583°E / 43.183; 16.583
Country	Croatia
County	Split-Dalmatia
Island	Hvar
Government
• Mayor	Vinko Maroević (HDZ)
Population (2001)
• Town	2,817
• Metro	1,906
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	21460
Area code(s)	021
Website	stari-grad.hr

Stari Grad (literally Old Town) is a town on the northern side of the island of Hvar in Dalmatia, Croatia. One of the oldest towns in Europe, its position at the end of a long, protected bay and next to prime agricultural land has long made it attractive for human settlement. Stari Grad is also a municipality within the Split-Dalmatia County.

The most ancient part of Stari Grad falls within the UNESCO Protected World Heritage Site of the Stari Grad Plain, while the entire municipality lies within the surrounding buffer zone.

Stari Grad was originally named Faros (Greek: ΦAPOΣ) by the Greek settlers from the island of Paros, who arrived in 384 BC. It is thought that the name may come from the previous inhabitants of the area. A great naval battle was recorded a year after the establishment of Pharos colony by a Greek inscription in Pharos (384 – 383 BC) and by the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (80 – 29 BC), initiated by conflicts between the Greek colonists and the indigenous Hvar islanders, the Liburnians, who asked their compatriots for support. 10,000 Liburnians sailed out from their capital Idassa (Zadar), led by the Iadasinoi (people of Zadar), and laid siege to Pharos. The Syracusan fleet positioned in Issa was informed in time, and Greek triremes attacked the siege fleet, taking victory in the end. According to Diodorus, the Greeks killed more than 5,000 and captured 2,000 prisoners, ran down or captured their ships, and burned their weapons in dedication to their gods.

This battle meant the loss of the most important strategic Liburnian positions in the centre of the Adriatic, resulting in their final retreat to their main ethnic region, Liburnia, and their complete departure from the Italic coast, apart from Truentum. In Roman times, the town became known as Faria, which was turned into Hvar by the incoming Slav population. When the administrative capital of the island was moved to today's Hvar town on the south coast, the old town became simply known as Stari Grad. ("Stari" translates as "old" and "grad" as "city" in Croatian.)