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The Hvar Arsenal is a historic building in the town of Hvar, Croatia. It was first constructed in the 14th century as a maintenance shipyard for the galley of the commune. Through the ages it was further expanded and gained additional functions. Most notable is the historic theater (), built in 1612 as part of the first floor, above the galley space. Today it is a multi-functional building centered on the theater.
History
The Arsenal in Hvar has developed and changed in accordance with the historical, social and technological changes of its day. It was first built in the period between 1292 (the decision to build) and 1331 (its existence confirmed). The location was chosen with regard to the dangers of weather and high seas to the port of Hvar and so to enable the integration of the building into the protection of the city walls. The later built city walls have never included Arsenal and multiple other important buildings.
The first construction phase (1292/1317 - 1331) The existing ground floor walls in the area of the 2. - 8. bays are built in the first construction phase, in the beginning of the 14th century. The foundations of these walls lay directly on the historical layers from antiquity. These old structures have been formed to accommodate foundations for the arsenal, as well as the slipway inside the building. The slipway was covered with a clay finish and was used as a work surface for the maintenance of the galley.
The first, 14th century arsenal was essentially a building protected from the weather by two walls and a roof. It was a precondition for the municipality to fulfill its commitment to the Republic of Venice: to maintain, equip and finance a municipal galley and to train and provide a crew from its own residents. The size and shape of the building was in accordance with the size of the 14th century galley. The first design of the arsenal was, according to the preserved parts and the practice of similar buildings, simple, industrial and without architectural decoration.
After the Republic of Venice came to power the municipality of Hvar was under pressure to rapidly build the arsenal (and other infrastructure) to fulfill the municipal galley duty. The building was financed and controlled by the municipality. It was the work of local masters who made it as simple and cost-effective as possible. The 2nd – 8th bay arsenal is 40 meters long, what corresponds to the galley of the time. The side walls were about one meter higher than today's level of the first floor.
The second construction phase (1528 - 1559) The arsenal has been preserved and used by the municipality despite the multiple changes of rule on the island until the 16th century (Venice had lost control of the island of Hvar in the period 1358 - 1420). An expansion was carried out in the period of 1528 - 1559, because social and political circumstances made greater demands on the building.
In this second construction phase arsenal was extended by today's first bay and built up to its today’s height. An inner terrace was created in the first bay to provide dry storage space for provisions. The building was closed with the newly built western and eastern facade.
The third construction phase (1575 - 1612) The arsenal was burnt down in the Ottoman attack of 1571. A gunpowder explosion on October 1, 1579 at the fort over Hvar has certainly additionally damaged the building. A third construction phase was necessary to put the building back into operation. It is evident from the new construction that the Arsenal in Hvar has become more important as a supply center for the navy and the merchant fleet than just a space in which one galley was kept and maintained.
A new inner floor was built in the interior of the existing arsenal, along its entire length. It was divided into two parts, the eastern and the western. To support the floor, seven circular arch supports were erected in the ground floor hall. - The interior was divided for the first time in eight bays that are visible today. The circular arches are undamaged by the fire and were certainly constructed after the fire of 1571.