The island, on foot
The island, on foot

The Fortification Line

Hvar Town to Sveti Nikola

walk · hard · history
The defensive line above Hvar Town — Španjola and the Napoleon fort on the ridge
Photo · Falk2 / Wikimedia Commons

Hvar's harbour was always a fortress as much as a town. This walk follows that fact: from the Fortica along the walls and the ridge to the Napoleon fort of 1811 on Sveti Nikola, then home. Nine and a half kilometres, marked hard, half of it macadam. Carry water. The reward is not a café at the top — it is the line of the island, and the sense that the town was made to be held.