CROATIA Split

The largest city of Dalmatia and the second largest city of Croatia lies on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Split is centred on the Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian which was constructed in 305 CE. The city is one of the oldest cities in the area. It was founded as a Greek colony in the 4^th century BC. Until the fall of Austria-Hungary and the formation of Yugoslavia in 1918, the city remained a part of the Austrian Kingdom of Dalmatia. After World War II, the city as part of the republic of Croatia was included in the Federal Yugoslavia. In 1991 Split was separated from Croatia during the Croatian War of Independence.

Diocletian’s Palace, facing the harbour, is one of the most imposing existing Roman ruins and a place where you will spend most of your time while in Split. This is the city’s living heart, with its labyrinthine streets packed with people, bars, shops and restaurants, not omitting the military fortress, imperial residence and fortified town… Each fortification wall has a gate named after a metal: the Golden Gate (at the northern end), the Bronze Gate (at the southern end), the Silver Gate (the eastern gate), and the Iron Gate (in the west). The palace was built from lustrous limestone and marble from the island of Brač.

The Cathedral of St Dominus is an octagonal-shaped cathedral originally built as Diocletian’s mausoleum. You can admire the oldest monuments in the Cathedral - the remarkable scenes from the life of Christ on the wooden entrance doors. Split’s synagogue is the third-oldest synagogue in Europe that is still in use; it is built into the western wall of the Palace. The town museum has three floors, with drawings, heraldic coats of arms, 17^th century weaponry, fine furniture, coins and documents from as far back as the 14^th century. Aquarium Split is Croatia’s largest marine aquarium. There are also museums and a Gallery of Fine Arts in the town.