Fortress of George III, Vis

West of the entrance to the harbour of the town of Vis, on the island of the same name, on a hill stands the fortress of George III, also known as Fortica. It is interesting as a reminder of the time when British soldiers defended this part of the Adriatic, and the position offers a view of Vis bay.

The fortress was built by the English in 1812 as part of a chain of fortifications around Vis harbour. Its ground plan is completely irregular because it follows the shape of the terrain. It was built as a low structure with sloping walls surrounded by a moat, and it has two courtyards and an inner fort with semicircular openings for cannons. A drawbridge leads to the main entrance, and above it are the British flag and an inscription dedicated to King George III. Under Austrian rule the building was altered. Unusually, all the arches are made of brick, from which one can conclude that local masters did not do the building work.

The fortress is a protected cultural good, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-6289.

Photo: August Dominus, 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: Wikidata (CC0).