476 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp502–505 and pp506–507
The picturesque seafront at TrogirP Land Gate
Hrvatskih Mučenika.
Rebuilt in the 16th century,
the Land Gate (Sjeverna
Vrata) was made from a tall
doorway in pale rusticated
stone, with grooves that once
supported a drawbridge.
On the cornice above the
arch is the Lion of St Mark
and, above that, on a pedes-
tal, stands a statue of the
St John of Trogir (sv Ivan
Trogirski), one of the town’s
patron saints.
E Civic Museum
Gradska Vrata 4. Tel (021) 881 406.
Jul–Aug: 9am–9pm daily; Sep–
Jun: call in advance. & 8 ^
Through the Land Gate
is the lovely Baroque Garagnin
Fanfogna Palace, now the
Civic Museum (Muzej
Grada Trogira), with 18th
century furnishings. On
display are interesting archaeo-
logical collections, books,
documents, drawings and
antique clothes linked to
the town’s history.
Exterior of the Čipiko Palace, built
for Trogir’s most illustrious familyTrogir q
Set on an island joined to the mainland by a bridge,
Trogir is one of the jewels of the Dalmatian coast. The
Greeks of Issa, now Vis (see p473), first settled here in
380 BC, when they founded the fortified town of
Tragyrion, which became Tragurium under the Romans
in AD 78. In 1123, Trogir was attacked and destroyed
by the Saracens and aban doned by the surviv ing
inhabitants. It revived again 70 years later and a period
of extraordinary artistic growth ensued, first under the
kings of Hungary and later under Venetian rule. Trogir’s
buildings display a profu sion of architec tural styles,
evidence of its earlier prosperity and cul tural past. In
1997, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
R Cathedral of St Lawrence
trg Ivana Pavla II. Tel (091) 531
mid May–Oct: 9am–7pm;
Nov–mid May: by appt.
This opulent Cathedral of
St Lawrence (Katedrala sv
Lovre) stands on the site of
an ancient church destroyed
by the Saracens. Construction
began in 1193, but was pro-
longed for decades. Its most
specta cular feature is the west
door, decorated with car ved
reliefs executed by local stone-
mason Master Radovan in
- His delight ful frieze,
filled with plants and animals,
depicts the changing of the
seasons. Inside, there is an
octagonal pulpit from the 13th
century and a ciborium on
the main altar with sculp tures
depicting the Annunciation.
To the right of the cathedral
stands a 14th-century Venetian
Gothic bell tower, rebuilt when
Trogir became part of the
Venetian territory.
P Stafileo Palace
Matije Gupca 20. ¢ to the public.
Built in the late 15th century,
the Stafileo Palace (Palača
Stafileo) has a series of five
windows in Venetian Gothic
style on each of its two floors,
their openings framed by
pillars and carved arches.
Around the arches are reliefs
of flowers and leaves. The
design is attributed to the
school of Juraj Dalmatinac
(see p458), who worked for
many years in Trogir.P Town Hall
trg Ivana Pavla II.
On the eastern side of
John Paul II Square (trg
Ivana Pavla II) stands the
impressive Town Hall
(Gradska Vijećnica), originat-
ing in the 15th cen tury. It has
three storeys with open arch-
es and a mullioned window
with a balustrade on the
upper floor; the façade is dec-
orated with coats of arms.
The pretty porticoed court-
yard is open to the public.P Čipiko Palace
Gradska ulica. ¢ to the public,
except courtyard.
An inscription indicates
1457 as the year of completion
of the Čipiko Palace (Palača
Čipiko), built for Trogir’s
most illustri ous family. Over
a Renaissance doorway,
distin guished by its columns,
is a shell deco ration above a
finely worked cornice. The first
floor has a beautiful mullioned
window with a balustrade in
stone; the second floor issimilarly designed but lacks
the balustrade. A second door,
open ing onto a side street,
has a com plex structure with
two sculpted lions hold ing a
coat of arms. They are flanked
by sculptures of angels.