Built on the remains of an imperial Roman
palace, Split is a fascinating and vibrant
Mediterranean city, featuring palm-lined
avenues and bustling pavement cafés.
At its heart is the Palace of Diocletian, a
3rd-century structure that was aban doned
by the Romans before being set tled by
sanctuary-seeking locals. Adapted to the
needs of a growing city, the palace area
is nowadays a labyrinth of atmospheric alleyways with
exciting architectural discoveries at every corner. During
the Middle Ages, a steadily growing Slav population
turned Split into a centre of Croatian lan guage and
culture. Almost four centuries of Venetian rule (1409–
1797) filled the city with Italianate art and archi tec ture.
During the 20th century, Split became the biggest ferry
terminal on the Adriatic, and remains the main gate way
to Croatia’s seductively beautiful islands.
466 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp502–505 and pp506–507
Detail of
Papalić PalaceP Palace of Diocletian
See pp468–9.
View of the port and the seafront in Split
Split 6 P People’s Square
The busy People’s Square
(Narodni trg/Pjaca) was
Split’s centre of business and
admin istration during the
15th century, and the nobility
erected pres tigious buildings
here. Exam ples include the
Venetian Gothic Cambi Palace
and the Renaissance Town
Hall (Vijećnica), built in the
first half of the 15th cen tury,
which has a loggia with three
arches on the ground floor
and a Gothic window on the
upper floor.
P Braće Radića Square
This medieval square (trg
Braće Radić) is on the south-
west corner of the Palace of
Diocletian. The tall Hrvoje’s
Tower (Hrvojeva Kula) is the
only evidence of the impos-
ing castle built here by the
Venetians in the second half
of the 15th century to streng-
then the city’s sea-facing
defences. Built on an octago-
nal groundplan, it stands
on the southern side of
the square.
On the northern side of
the square is the Baroque
Milesi Palace, from the 17th
century, and at its centre
is a striking bronze statue
dedicated to Marko Marulić
(1450–1524), the writer and
R Church of St Francis
trg Republike. n (021) 348 600.
# by appt.
The pretty Church of
St Francis (sv Frane) has
been rebuilt in recent times,
but the Romanesque-Gothic
cloister, with thin columns
enclosing a flower garden,
is original.
The church, with mainly
Baroque furnishings, has a
15th-century crucifix by Blaž
Jurjev Trogiranin (c. 1412–48).
It also houses the tombs of
the city’s illustrious citizens,
includ ing that of Archdeacon
Toma, the first Dalmatian
historian, writer Marko Marulić
and the well-known composer
Ivan Lukačić.scholar who composed the
first epic poem in the Croatian
language. His statue, by
sculptor Ivan Meštrović, is
inscribed with verses by
another famous Croatian
poet, Tin Ujević.The 15th-century Hrvoje’s Tower
on Braće Radića SquareE Museum of Croatian
Archaeological Monuments
Šetalište Ivana Meštrovića 18.
Tel (021) 358 420. # Jul–Sep:
9am–1pm & 5–9pm Mon–Fri,
9am–2pm Sat; Oct–Jun: 9am–4pm
Mon–Fri, 9am–2pm Sat. &
http://www.mhas-split.hr
Set up in 1975, this museum
(muzej Hrvatskih Arheoloških
Spomenika) houses finds
from the area around Split
dating from the early Middle
Ages. The collec tion also
includes the works of early
Croat sculptors, from AD 800.
The stone frag ments, salvaged
from castles and churches,
consist mainly of tombs,
capitals, altar fronts, ciboria
and windows. High lights
include Prince Višeslav’s
9th-century hexago nal
baptis mal font and the strik-
ing 10th-century sarcophagus
of Queen Jelena discovered
in Solin, near the ancient
Roman city of Salona
(see pp470–71).