Tourist
Info Split and History of Split
Split is the economic and
administrative center of Middle Dalmatia,
with about 200,000 inhabitants.
It is also the jumping-off point for exploration
of the coast and islands of the beautiful
Croatian Adriatic. The site was first settled
when, at the end of the third century AD,
the Roman Emperor Diocletian built his palace
here.
The importance of Diocletian's Palace far
transcends local significance because of
its level of preservation and the buildings
of succeeding historical periods built within
its walls, which today form the very heart
of old Split.
Split's growth became particularly rapid
in the 7th century, when the inhabitants
of the destroyed Greek and Roman metropolis
Salonae (present-day Solin) took refuge
within its walls. The lovely ruins of Solin
outside the city can still be explored today.
In the Middle Ages, Split was an autonomous
commune.
Many of Split's historical and cultural
buildings can be found within the walls
of Diocletian's Palace. In addition, numerous
museums, the National Theatre, and old churches
and other archeological sites in the Split
region make it an important cultural attraction.
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.
At the end of the third century
AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian built his
palace on the bay of Aspalathos. Here, after
abdicating on the first of May in A.D. 305,
he spent the last years of his life. The
bay is located on the south side of a short
peninsula running out from the Dalmatian
coast into the Adriatic, four miles from
the site of Salona, the capital of the Roman
province of Dalmatia. The terrain on which
the palace was built slopes gently seaward.
It is typical karst terrain, consisting
of low limestone ridges running east to
west with marl in the clefts between them.
This palace is today the heart of the inner-city
of Split where all the most important historical
buildings can be found. The importance of
Diocletian's Palace far transcends local
significance because of its level of preservation
and the buildings of succeeding historical
periods, stretching from Roman times onwards,
which form the very tissue of old Split.
The Palace is one of the most famous and
integral architectural and cultural constructs
on the Croatian Adriatic coast and holds
an outstanding place in the Mediterranean,
European and world heritage.
In November 1979 UNESCO, in line with the
international convention concerning the
cultural and natural heritage, adopted a
proposal that the historic Split inner city,
built around the Palace, should be included
in the register of the World Cultural Heritage.
The Palace is built of white local limestone
of high quality, most of which was from
quarries on the island of Brac; tuffa taken
from the nearby river beds; and brick made
in Salonitan and other workshops. Some material
for decoration was imported: Egyptian granite
columns and sphinxes, fine marble for revetments
and some capitals produced in workshops
in the Proconnesos.
Water for the palace came from the Jadro
river near Salona. Along the road from Split
to Salona impressive remains of the original
aqueduct can still be seen. They were extensively
restored in the nineteenth century.
