| Split is the heart of the province of Dalmatia. Located
150km (95mi) north of Dubrovnik, it's the largest Croatian city on
the Adriatic coast. It became a popular retirement destination
in the 4th century for Roman Emperors such as Diocletian who had run
out of Christians to feed to his lions.
When the nearby Roman colony of Salona was abandoned to the
barbarian hordes, many of its inhabitants fled to Split, enjoying
the safety of its high palace walls. Now an industrial city, the old
town, the air of exuberance and some great sights make this one of
the most fascinating cities in Europe.
Split
(Italian Spalato), city in southern Croatia, a seaport on the Dalmatian
coast of the Adriatic Sea. High mountains lie to the north and east of the
city. Olive oil, fruit, and especially wine, are exported. The principal
manufactured products have included chemicals, plastics, and cement. The
University of Split (1974) is here. Roman monuments in the city include the
remains (a loggia, with red columns and a striking rotunda) of the palace
built by the Roman emperor Diocletian, a native of Dalmatia. The cathedral,
an octagonal structure, and a baptistery are also of Roman origin. The seat
of a bishopric in the 4th century, Split grew into a prosperous port of
medieval Dalmatia. Sporadically under Venice and Croatia, then under the
suzerainty of Hungary-Croatia from the 12th to the 14th century, Split was
held again by Venice for two centuries, and then by Austria from 1797 to
1918, when it became part of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes
(later Yugoslavia). In 1991 Croatia declared its independence from
Yugoslavia, and Split was shelled by Serbs during the subsequent fighting.
Long
History
SPLIT
AND DIOCLETIAN'S PALACE - It was in 295 BC, when Roman
emperor Gaius Valerius Aurelius Diocletianus started to build the palace on
the bay of Aspalathos on the Dalmatian coast, the land of his birth. After
abdication in 305 the retired Emperor left Nicomedia and settled in the
palace intending to spend there the rest of his life. The rectangle shaped
Diocletian's palace occupies an area of about 28, 900 square meters. The plan
of the palace combines the qualities of a villa and a fortified military
camp (castrum). Its southern facade with the arcaded gallery on its upper
floor rose directly from the sea. Three shore facades were fortified with
sixteen towers, four of them in the angles. The monumental gate in the
middle of each of these walls led to an enclosed courtyard. The dual nature
of architectural scheme, derived from both the villa and the castrum types
is evident in the arrangement of the interior. The transverse street (decumanus)
leads from the east to the west gate and divides the Palace in two parts and
the main longitudinal one (cardo) links the north gate with the south
section of the palace. The north part is supposed to be a large residential
complex for servants and soldiers. The more luxurious buildings were built
in the southern section of the palace: the monumental courtyard (Peristyle)
forming the northern access to the Emperors apartments, a Mausoleum east of
the Peristyle and a complex of three temples west of it, as well as two
baths - eastern and western ones. The Emperors apartments formed the block
along the seafront. Because the sloping terrain created large differences in
level Emperor's apartments were built above the substructures.
After
Diocletian's death the palace remained an imperial possession. The
transformation of the palace into the town begun in the seventh century,
when the inhabitants of nearby Salona took refugee in the palace during the
invasion of Avars and Slavs. Until the tenth century the medieval Split
remained within the perimetric walls of the palace. Since the eleventh
century the town spread outside the palace walls. Thanks to the fact that the
town of Split has not experienced destruction caused by wars or elementary
disasters in 1700 years of its existence and has been continuously built up
according to the needs and possibilities of its inhabitants, the buildings
of various historical periods and styles are well preserved, as well as the
Diocletian's palace which became and has remained its nucleus up to the
present days
Split
is a seaport, resort, and the economic and administrative centre of
Middle Dalmatia. With about 200,000 inhabitants, Split is
the chief city of Dalmatia, and the second largest city in Croatia.
It is situated on a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea with a deep, sheltered
harbor on the south side. A major commercial and transportation centre, the
city is best known for the ruins of the Palace of Diocletian. The immense
complex originally had 16 towers (of which 3 remain) and 4 gates. A
tree-lined promenade now keeps the Adriatic from lapping against the south
walls as it once did. Collectively with the historic royal residences,
fortifications, and churches in the city, the palace was designated a UNESCO
World Heritage site in 1979.
Emerging
from a Greek settlement founded between the 3rd and 4th
centuries BC, the height of Split's history came in 295 BC when Roman
emperor Diocletian ordered a residence to be built there for his retirement.
It took ten years to build this magnificent palace and Diocletian lived
there until his death in 313 BC. After that, many Roman rulers continued to
use it as a retreat. In the Medieval period, after Avars destroyed
near-laying town of Solin, in the Roman Colony Salona, about 614 and
plundered the area, the only place the inhabitants could get any shelter was
the palace. From this moment on the palace in fact becomes a town of Split.
People
built their homes within the seven-acre (three-hectare) palace compound,
incorporating its walls and pillars, calling the settlement Spalatum. The
Avars damaged the palace as well. Slav tribes then populated the new
Split’s surroundings. They
have been mixing with town's population and brought a new strange culture.
The town itself became a medieval cultural centre influenced by both old
Roman and new Slavic culture. All along Middle Ages Split is a centre of
Croatian culture. Many greatest Croatian artists were born and worked there,
among others Marko Marulic, "the father of Croatian literature".
The
city enjoyed a good degree of autonomy between the 12th and 14th
centuries before the Venetians conquered it in 1420. After the fall of
Venetian rule in 1797, the Austrians ruled Split, and briefly the French,
before becoming part of the Yugoslavia that was formed in 1918. Much of its
development occurred after 1920 when Zadar, Dalmatia's official capital,
became an Italian enclave. In 1941, the city was occupied by the Italians
and soon a very strong resistance movement evolved and the city was first
liberated in 1943, after the capitulation of Italy, and then finally in
October of 1944 when the first people's government of Croatia was formed.
Split
is a busy port, with an international airport and regular ferry services
with the nearby islands, the north and south Adriatic, Italy and Greece. The
merchant and passenger ships of the Split shipyards may be encountered in
almost all the seas of the world. In addition, the city has large chemical
works, metallurgy plants, and workshops for the production of solar cells.
The fertile fields around Split represent a good base for agriculture, while
cultural monuments, superb landscapes and unparalleled seascapes make it a
tourist's wonderland. Split is also a university seat and host to numerous
scientific institutions.
The
Palace of Diocletian is one of the biggest attractions in Split. It is an
ancient Roman palace built between AD
295 and 305, by the emperor Diocletian as his place of retirement. He
renounced the imperial crown in 305 and then lived at Split until his death
in 316. The palace is the largest and best-preserved example of Roman
palatial architecture, representing a transitional style half Greek and half
Byzantine.
Founded
in 1820, the Archaeological Museum in Split is the oldest Museum in Croatia.
It has a large stock of archaeological objects from prehistoric times, from
the period of the Greek colonization of the Adriatic and from the Roman,
Early Christian and early medieval ages.
One
of the worst things that might happen to a man is to be born in Split
without any musical talent. The town gave best Croatian composers: Jakov
Gotovac wrote the most popular Croatian opera "Ero sa onoga svijeta".
Melodies from famous operettas written by composer Ivo Tijardovic describe
every street and every corner of the town. In Split was also born Franz von
Suppe, one of the most important representatives of the Vienna operetta. So
there is no wonder that one of the most important institutions in Split is
the Opera house. The Opera choir is traditionally the best professional
choir in Croatia. The Split Opera festival was before the war the most
important festival of that kind.
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