Split, Croatia

Split, Croatia, at dusk
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Croatia_-_Split_-_Riva_under_night.JPG
Author: Michael Angelkovich


Split is the biggest city on the Dalmatian coast, and the second largest in Croatia. It covers 79.38 sq km (30.6 sq mi) and has a population of 178,000 (2011 estimate) within a metropolitan area of 400,000 people.

Split occupies a peninsula that juts out into the Adriatic Sea, between the Gulf of Kaštela and the Split Channel. The city enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Hottest month is July, with the average high temperature rises to 29.8°C (86.5°F). Coldest month is January, when the average low temperature drops to 5.4°C (41.7°F). November is the wettest month, receiving 112.9 mm (4.445 in) of precipitation.

Main Square, Split
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Narodni_Trg_%28Pjaca%29.JPG
Author: Epiq


Split is one of the oldest city along the Adriatic coast. The modern city is already some 1,700 years old, while the area itself has been settled as far back as the 6th century BC. The earliest known settlement in Split was a Greek colony called Aspálathos. The surrounding area was inhabited by Illyrian tribes, whose major city was nearby Salona.

By the 3rd century BC, the Romans were becoming increasingly powerful. They conquered the Illyrians between 229 BC and 219 BC, after which they established the province of Dalmatia. The Illyrian city of Salona became the provincial capital, while Aspálathos was annexed and renamed Spalatum.

Diocletian's Palace, Split
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Split_iz_zraka.jpg
Author: E.coli


The Roman Emperor Diocletian put Split on the map when he decided to retire from politics and make the city his retirement home. In preparation for his retirement, he began building a huge palace in Split in AD 293. The palace has walls measuring 170 meters by 200 meters, and between 15 to 20 meters high, enclosing an area of 38,000 sq m (9 ½ acres). This "enclosed city" supported a population of between 8,000 to 10,000 people. The palace was completed in AD 305, right on schedule for Diocletian, who became the first Roman Emperor to voluntarily stand down from office. Diocletian's Palace is today a major part of Split. It was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1979.

AD 476 saw the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, and Spalatum became part of the Byzantine Empire. It continued to be overshadowed by the nearby city of Salona until AD 639, when Salona was brought down by Avar and Slav raiders, and was entirely destroyed. Diocletian's Palace became a place of refuge offering protection with its massive fortifications.

Wall of Diocletian's Palace complex, Split
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Split_IMG_8122.jpg
Author: Herwig Storch


By the Middle Ages, the power of the Byzantine Empire was declining, just as neighbouring powers began to rise, among them the Venetian Republic, the Kingdom of Croatia and the Kingdom of Hungary. Split was eventually integrated into the Kingdom of Croatia in 1069. In 1102, the Kingdom of Croatia entered a personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary. Meanwhile, the Venetian Republic was also growing powerful. It managed to gain control of Split whenever there was a moment of weakness in the kingdoms of Croatia or Hungary.

Split finally came under the rule of the Venetian Republic when Hungary sold off Dalmatia in 1420, for just 100,000 ducats. The Venetian Republic held on to Split for 377 years, until its own demise. The city briefly came under Napoleonic rule from 1806 to 1813, before it passed to the Austrian Empire, as the Kingdom of Dalmatia.

Peristyle, Split
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Split_by_Martin_-_13.JPG
Author: Martin


The First World War brought an end to the Austria-Hungarian Empire. Dalmatia, along with Split, became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and later Yugoslavia. During the Second World War, it was occupied first by Italy and later by the Nazis. After the war, it became part of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, which itself is a component of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1992, as Yugoslavia disintegrated, Split became part of the Republic of Croatia.

Visiting Split

The Split Airport (SPU) is the second busiest airport in Croatia. It receives flights from major cities in Croatia as well as from London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam, Belgrade, Vienna, Zürich, among others.

Sights & Attractions in and around Diocletian's Palace in Split

Sights & Attractions around Split