17th century Hvar theater

Above the entrance to Hvar's old theatre is a Latin inscription: Anno Pacis Secundo MDCXII — "the second year of peace, 1612." That's the year the town built one of Europe's first public theatres inside its Arsenal, the fortified building that had served as the commune's galley shipyard since the 14th century.

The theatre occupies the first floor of the Arsenal, directly above the space once used to haul and repair the town's war galley — an obligation the commune had to keep fulfilling for the Republic of Venice. What sets it apart historically is that, unlike most European theatres of the period, it was open to residents of every social class rather than reserved for nobility, which is why it's remembered as the oldest public theatre in Europe (only Vicenza's Teatro Olimpico and Sabbioneta's Teatro all'antica, both private court theatres, are older).

Its current look mostly dates from the 19th century, when the theatre was remodeled in neo-Baroque style: an auditorium with tiered boxes was added, along with painted frescoes still visible today, including a fresco of an imagined city dated 1819 on the stage wall.

The building went through a long conservation process — documentation and research starting in 1989, structural reconstruction through the 2000s, and a final renovation completed in 2018–2019 — before reopening to the public with its historic features restored.

It's one of the stops that make Hvar Town worth a slow afternoon on land before heading back out to continue exploring Croatia's coast by boat.