Jelsa

Jelsa is located in the middle of the Island, surrounded by beautiful pine woods, lavender, vineyards, olive trees, clear and sky-blue sea and it's vaulted by the crystalline serenity of the sky.

The climate is characterized by mild winters, and warm summers with many hours of sunshine.

The town of Jelsa was founded as a port for the village of Pitve in the 14th century. From fishing and agriculture, Jelsa developed into a ship-building and maritime centre, especially during the 19th century. The town prospered, and became the administrative capital for the central district of the island of Hvar.

Modern Jelsa is a bustling town, with many small businesses, and the local district administration. It is an important tourist centre for the island, with regular passenger catamaran services to Split.

The island itself has a long over 140 years tradition, since tourism "officially" began in 1868, though it has been practiced as far back as ancient Roman times - the oldest hotel in Jelsa dates to 1911.

Today, the island of Hvar is a popular destination for tourists, consistently listed in the top 10 islands by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

Jelsa with its numerous churches, squares, local parks, caves and historical places is worth exploring. The most interesting places to visit are: Humac and Grepče cave, old town of Jelsa (Civitas Vetus Ielsae), Tor tower,

Humac is an abandoned village situated some 7 km east of Jelsa.  It was formerly a pastoral village established in the 17th century and is situated at a height of 350 meters above sea-level.

Grapče Cave is situated in the central part of the island of Hvar, close to the old village Humac. This cave is archaeologically important due to its Neolithic culture and has been protected since 1964.

The old town of Jelsa - Only the remnants of the defensive city walls and the Roman legionnaires guard houses remind us of the tempestuous history of the once important ancient village, the old town of Jelsa (Civitas Vetus Ielsae). There was an Augustinian Monastery on today's cemetery site, dating back from 1605 to 1787 whilst only the church with its original church-tower remains there today.

Tor is a tower dating back to the 4th century B.C. and is situated south of Jelsa.  It was build from large stone blocks, cut in regular forms, using the dry stone wall technique. The Tor Tower was once a Greek observation post and was built on the foundations of an old Illyrian fortification.  

more information at: www.tzjelsa.hr