ARSENAL

The old theatre of Hvar is placed at the eastern part of the big Arsenal building's floor,
primarily intended for storage, repairing and equipping of boats.

When the Venatian Republic took possession of Hvar, for the third and the last but one time,
in 1278, it immediately emphasized the strategy and traffic advantage of todays harbour of
Hvar, building up a new centre of civil and ecclesiastic government there. Already in1292, it
determined the construction of the Arsenal, but seemingly, it was raised only between 1317
and 1331, when its prior or suprastans was first mentioned. Not much is known about that old
Arsenal from14th and 15th century, which was positioned on present-day Arsenals place.

The construction of the todays building initiated around 1559, indigenous skilled workmen,
Nikola Kuzmni and Kuzma Stanii worked on it. Just like all the public buildings in Hvar,
Arsenal was built with the money of the local authorities, in those days, the wealthiest
community in Venetian Dalmatia. During the famous Turkish attack on Hvar, on 17th August
in1571, in the middle of Lepant battle, Arsenal was severely damaged and its repairing and
reconstruction prolonged until 1612.

At the western part of the floor, there was an armory. In the time of Austrian power, from
1821 to 1868, the whole building, apart from the theatre, served as a warehouse or a barrack.
For that cause, it was reconstructed in 1824, especially the faade. After the armys
abandoning it, the western part of the floor turns into a municipal office with a town hall
( later the )
Since 1953, on the ground floor, thers a cinema, and since 1957, on the floor, in the former
townhall, an art gallery.