Fortress in Gornja Banda, Sućuraj

The remains of the fortress in Gornja Banda, in the municipality of Sućuraj at the eastern end of the island of Hvar, bear witness to the Venetian defence of the Adriatic. It is of interest to visitors who want to learn about the maritime and military history of the island.

The fortress was built in 1613 and played an important role during the Cretan and Morean wars in the 17th century. The name of the builder, Antonio Civran, is mentioned, and on the façade of the tower an inscription with the coat of arms of the Venetian governor Minio has been preserved. The complex consisted of a square two-storey tower with a hipped roof and a walled courtyard. On the south façade, in the middle of the wall, a square bastion projects, with a batter, narrow loopholes and three gun openings. In the Second World War the tower was bombarded and razed to the ground, and the north wall of the fortress was also damaged.

The fortress is a protected cultural property and is entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-5155.

Photo: Argo Navis, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: DGU (centre of the settlement).