Young people from around the world gather at Croatia’s UNESCO Stari Grad Plain on Hvar

(Photo: Javna ustanova Agencija za upravljanje Starogradskim poljem)

HVAR, 4 September 2026 – Young volunteers from around the world are once again working to preserve one of Croatia’s most important cultural landscapes on the island of Hvar, the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media said.

The Stari Grad Plain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is hosting the sixth consecutive annual workshop organised as part of the World Heritage Volunteers campaign.

The 2026 programme, titled “World Heritage Volunteers: Working on the Future”, is organised by the Croatian Commission for UNESCO within the Ministry of Culture and Media, with support from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

The initiative brings international volunteers to the historic landscape to take part in its preservation and revitalisation while learning about its cultural and agricultural significance.

(Photo: Javna ustanova Agencija za upravljanje Starogradskim poljem)

The Stari Grad Plain was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008.

It is recognised as an exceptionally well-preserved example of an ancient Greek agricultural landscape in the Mediterranean.

The field retains the basic organisation established during Greek colonisation, including an ancient division of agricultural land into approximately 75 plots, known as chora.

Within those larger divisions, smaller parcels were traditionally separated by dry-stone walls.

Many of the agricultural traditions associated with the landscape have survived to the present day.

Vines, olives and lavender continue to be cultivated across parts of the plain, maintaining the connection between the archaeological landscape and contemporary agricultural life.

(Photo: Javna ustanova Agencija za upravljanje Starogradskim poljem)

The volunteer programme is designed not simply as a conservation project but also as an educational initiative.

Participants are introduced to the value of World Heritage and the importance of involving local communities in its protection.

The programme also highlights the role of Hvar as a cultural destination whose heritage extends beyond its historic towns and monuments into the surrounding agricultural landscape.

The Stari Grad Plain is particularly significant because it represents a rare combination of archaeological evidence, agricultural traditions and a living cultural landscape.

(Photo: Javna ustanova Agencija za upravljanje Starogradskim poljem)

Its preservation therefore involves maintaining both physical features such as dry-stone walls and the agricultural practices that continue to shape the plain.

Croatia’s participation in the UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers programme for a sixth consecutive year underlines the country’s continued focus on conservation and international engagement in heritage protection.