Ancient Greek Stone Wall (Agroter)

The Stari Grad Plain is a broad, fertile plain in the centre of the island of Hvar, and its fields are divided by dry-stone walls that were first laid out by Greek settlers more than 2,400 years ago. The plain was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2008, because it is one of the most complete examples in the Mediterranean of an ancient system of land division that has remained in use to the present day. The stone walls are the visible sign of that system, and they give the landscape its strikingly regular pattern.

The story begins in 384 BC, when Greek colonists from the island of Paros arrived and founded a colony called Pharos, the town now known as Stari Grad. They found a rich plain, and they surveyed it carefully, dividing it into long rectangular plots of equal size, called chora in Greek, bounded by walls built of the stones cleared from the ground. The plots were assigned to the settlers, who planted vines, olives and other crops, and the layout, a grid of parallel lines with the same orientation, shows that the work was planned from the start. What makes the Stari Grad Plain so remarkable is that the pattern has survived: the division of the land today still follows the lines laid out by the Greeks, and many of the walls are the original ones, repaired over the centuries.

The walls are built in the dry-stone technique, without mortar, with each stone fitted to the next so that the structure holds by its own weight. The walls are low, usually about a metre high, and they follow the straight lines of the grid, with small stone shelters scattered across the fields that served as refuges for farmers. They protect the plots from the wind, clear the ground for cultivation and mark the boundaries between owners. The technique is typical of the Mediterranean and is itself recognised as part of the intangible heritage of the region. Today the fields are still planted with vines and olives, and the produce is made into the wine and oil of Hvar.

Visitors can explore the plain on foot or by bicycle, following quiet farm roads between the walls. The best views are from the edges of the plain, where the pattern is easiest to read, and information panels explain the history at points along the way. Spring brings wildflowers and green fields, and autumn the harvest. There is little shade, so bring water and a hat. The town of Stari Grad, with its Market Square (Trg sv. Stjepana), St. Stephen's Cathedral (Katedrala Svetog Stjepana) and old streets, makes a good base, and the Pakleni Islands lie farther away.

The plain suits walkers, cyclists, history lovers and anyone interested in landscape. Respect the walls and the farmers' land.