It's one of the landmarks on Hvar that you shouldn't miss. You won't find a more famous pool on the island. At the end of August, we were sometimes alone there, and at such times, the atmosphere of the place was almost meditative. One would just sit there next to the old cycad, listen to the wind in the mature garden, and merge with the tranquility of the place in their mind. It's hard to imagine at such a moment that the building also had a defensive purpose.
The Most Famous Pool on Hvar
A Square That Used to Be the Sea
And it was a big surprise for me to find out that the square we walked across to reach the fortress was once underwater. In Petar Hektorović's time, people arrived at today's entrance by boat.
Although the terrain under today's square was filled in only in the mid-19th century, the place had been inhabited long before that and was already known as Tvrdalj. It was probably some old toponym. The building was erected in a place where the sea water forked and where an ancient villa once stood. Remains of the same ancient villa, including mosaics, were also found under the stairs of the nearby Church of St. Roch (crkva sv. Roka). It is probable that today's fish pond was also inspired by the remains of some ancient pool.
The original intention to build a summer residence had to adapt to current events. In the 16th century, the island experienced several attacks from the Turks, and the builder Petar Hektorović decided to fortify the building. This created a combination of defensive and rural architecture. Despite all efforts, Tvrdalj burned during an attack in 1571. As for defensive elements, Petar was also inspired by Dubrovnik. However, you won't see many of them there today. The main one – the ravelin – has long been gone. A similar ravelin can still be seen today at the Church of Our Lady of Mercy in Vrboska, and it is truly massive. After all, it's even in its name: Crkva – tvrđava sv. Marije od Milosrđa.
What Will You See There Today?
Mainly, the atmosphere of the place. Although you are in the center, there is a peaceful atmosphere. The biggest attraction, of course, is the pool with fish in brackish water (the water has a salt concentration somewhere between sea and fresh water). The pool is lined on all sides by an arcaded portico. Above the pool rises a tower with a dovecote, which once also had a clock (presumably a sundial), and next to the pool is a small ethnographic collection. And then there's still the mature garden to explore, including a viewpoint at the edge of the garden. The part of the garden by the pool is shaded and invites for a pleasant sit-down.
Tvrdalj is also a stone book – you can find more than 20 stone inscriptions here. Most of them are in Latin, one in Italian, and one in Croatian.
What more to add? It's definitely worth seeing. Even our small children enjoyed themselves there – watching the fish and wandering in the garden was a pleasant change. And you can even go there with a stroller.
