Studio Martina

Zastražišće is a small village under Municipality of Jelsa, pitoresque touristic place in the middle of island Hvar. The name of the village of Zastražišće indicates its function of guarding from ancient times. Zastražišće guarded the approach to the Hvar plain. The original role of the village is indicated by its name which derives from the Croatian word straža which means »guard«. On the hill (Vela glava, 316 m) stand the remains of an Illyrian fortification dating from 1000 B.C. The Hvar plain was also safe from surprise attack in Turkish times if the sea was watched from these vantage points. Of the two former defence towers of the patrician family Angjelinović (one destroyed, the other completely reconstructed) only a Croatian inscription from 1624 has been preserved. The towers were designed primarily as protection against attacks by Turkish pirates. A climb to the parish church of St. Nicholas (Sveti Nikola) will be rewarded by a lovely view of Mt. Biokovo and the Dalmatican coast across the Hvar Channel.

The chapel of St. Barbara was erected on the site of an older structure from the 14th c. and reconstructed in 1621.

The village itself consists of four separate parts: Mala Banda with the church, Podstranje, Donje Poje and Grudac, all of which contain interesting specimens of rustic architecture. In Črvanj Cove 30 minutes south from Zastražišće, a cluster of simple houses and the ruins of a patrician residence (first Angelini, later Duboković-Nadalini). On the northern coast and close by Zastražišće the attractive Dubac Cove. In 1991 the Island of Hvar signed the Declaration of the Central Dalmatian Islands - an Eco-clean Zone. Jelsa and its surroundings are like a sunny garden filled with the invigorating smell of an unpolluted sea, while above it clear, blue skies. The coves and headlands are ideal for swimming and sunbathing - sand, pebble or stone block beaches are surrounded by thick pine-forest that provide much needed shade on hot summer days. The most famous cultural event of this part of Hvar is ""Following the Cross"" Procession - is on the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

South of Brač lies Hvar, the longest island in the Adriatic. This is an island of vineyards, olive groves and lavender. Hvar is without a doubt an exceptional island. It is characterized by pleasant winter and summer resorts, mild climate and abundant subtropical vegetation.

Source: Croatian National Tourist Board