Walls protected the town on the land side. To protect the sea entrance, the Venetians constructed an arsenal to support both the city's defense as well as shipbuilding. The building at right is a newer arsenal built from 1579-1611 after the invading Turks burnt down its predecessor. Its huge arched entrance allowed ships to be taken inside in times of danger. (The Turks burnt down almost all of the town in 1571 as they rowed their way to their defeat at the Battle of Lepanto. Their commander, Uluz Ali -- the governor of Algiers -- brought 80 galleys here as a diversionary tactic. He sailed around Hvar island, trashing all its cities before proceeding south to Corfu.) Later one of the oldest surviving theaters in Europe was built inside the Arsenal in 1612. Called the Kazaliste, it further solidified Hvar as a center of the Croatian Renaissance with the homes of Hanibal Lucic, Petar Hektorvic, and Gian Francesco Biondi. The town square at left leads to the cathedral and its iconic Dalmatian bell tower.
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