Split

From the Split, Croatia entry in Wikipedia:

Split is the second-largest city of Croatia, the largest city in Dalmatia and the largest city on the Croatian coast. It lies on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea and is spread over a central peninsula and its surroundings.

The city was founded as the Greek colony of Aspálathos in the 3^rd or 2^nd century BCE on the coast of the Illyrian Dalmatae, and later on was home to Diocletian's Palace, built for the Roman emperor in CE 305. It became a prominent settlement around 650 when it succeeded the ancient capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, Salona. After the sack of Salona by the Avars and Slavs, the fortified Palace of Diocletian was settled by Roman refugees. Split became a Byzantine city. Later it drifted into the sphere of the Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Croatia, with the Byzantines retaining nominal suzerainty. For much of the High and Late Middle Ages, Split enjoyed autonomy as a free city of the Dalmatian city-states, caught in the middle of a struggle between Venice and Croatia for control over the Dalmatian cities.

Venice eventually prevailed and during the early modern period Split remained a Venetian city, a heavily fortified outpost surrounded by Ottoman territory. Its hinterland was won from the Ottomans in the Morean War of 1699, and in 1797, as Venice fell to Napoleon, the Treaty of Campo Formio rendered the city to the Habsburg monarchy. In 1805, the Peace of Pressburg added it to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and in 1806 it was included in the French Empire, becoming part of the Illyrian Provinces in 1809. After being occupied in 1813, it was eventually granted to the Austrian Empire following the Congress of Vienna, where the city remained a part of the Austrian Kingdom of Dalmatia until the fall of Austria-Hungary in 1918 and the formation of Yugoslavia. In World War II, the city was annexed by Italy, then liberated by the Partisans after the Italian capitulation in 1943. It was then re-occupied by Germany, which granted it to its puppet Independent State of Croatia. The city was liberated again by the Partisans in 1944, and was included in the post-war Socialist Yugoslavia, as part of its republic of Croatia. In 1991, Croatia seceded from Yugoslavia amid the Croatian War of Independence.

The Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

All pictures are © Dr. Günther Eichhorn, unless otherwise noted.

Split

Street in Old Town Split. (1024k)

Street in Old Town Split. (1357k)

Street in Old Town Split. (1262k)

Passage in Old Town Split. (1121k)

Narrowest street in Split. (1021k)

Remnants of an arched window in a wall. (1.6M)

Roman wall between buildings. (1403k)

Roman stone head incorporated into a wall. (1271k)

Apparently the walls need support. (1201k)

House in Romanesque style, probably from 13^th/14^th century. (1021k)

House in Gothic style, probably from 15^th century. (847k)

House. (1001k)

Venetian Tower and the statue of Marko Marulic, the national poet of Croatia. (977k)

Statue of Gregory, bishop of Nin, who, in the 10^th century, introduced the Croatian language in the churches. (1283k)

According to my guide, the corners were filled in like this to prevent men from peeing in the corner. It splashes back. (1151k)

Palace of Diocletian

Water front of Diocletian's Palace. It is a mixture of old Roman parts and more modern parts. (844k)

Iron Gate, the western gate of the palace. (1196k)

East Gate of the original Palace, the Silver Gate. (1219k)

North Gate of the palace, the Golden Gate. (980k)

North Gate from the outside. (1130k)

North wall of Split. (1261k)

Originally this wall had windows. When it was made the city wall, it was widened and filled in. (1136k)

Tower on the north wall. (901k)

South end of the Peristyle. (940k)

East side of the Peristyle with the Saint Domnius Bell Tower behind it. (868k)

East side of the Peristyle with the Saint Domnius Cathedral behind it. (805k)

Saint Domnius Cathedral. The structure was build in 305 CE as the Mausoleum of Diocletian. It is the second oldest structure used by any Christian Cathedral. It is regarded as the oldest Catholic cathedral in the world that remains in use in its original structure, without near-complete renovation at a later date. (894k)