Stari Grad Plain


World Heritage Identification Number: 1240

World Heritage since: 2008

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇭🇷 Croatia

Continent: Europe

UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America

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Stari Grad Plain: A Remarkable Cultural Landscape in Croatia

The Stari Grad Plain, located on the Adriatic island of Hvar, Croatia, is a unique cultural landscape that has remained largely unchanged for over two millennia. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, this fertile plain is a testament to the enduring legacy of the ancient Greek civilization.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Stari Grad Plain on the Adriatic island of Hvar 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 centring 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.

Encyclopedia Record: Stari Grad Plain

The Stari Grad Plain, near the town of Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, Croatia, is an agricultural landscape that was set up by the ancient Greek colonists in the 4th century BC, and remains in use. The plain is the largest agricultural area on any of the Adriatic islands, and is remarkably fertile due to Ice Age loess deposition.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 1,376.53 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(v) — Outstanding example of traditional human settlement

Coordinates: 43.1816666667 , 16.6386111111

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Image of Stari Grad Plain

© Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian
40 km — Croatia
Historic City of Trogir
49 km — Croatia
The Cathedral of St James in Šibenik
86 km — Croatia
Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar
97 km — Bosnia and Herzegovina
Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards
105 km — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia

Country Information: Croatia

Flag of Croatia

Official Name: Republic of Croatia

Capital: Zagreb

Continent: Europe

Population (2024): 3,866,300

Population (2023): 3,859,686

Population (2022): 3,855,641

Land Area: 55,960 sq km

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Stari Grad Plain are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Stari Grad Plain, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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