Split, Croatia

Split is one of the oldest cities in Croatia, located between Dubrovnik and Zadar in the central part of the Croatian coast of the Adriatic. Split is the second biggest city of the country after the capital – Zagreb. The city has a vivid and rich history and preserves many sights, that is the reason the historical part of Split is an object of UNESCO worlds heritage.

Nowadays the city is the countries center of tourism, trade, food and wine industries. The city develops due to the passenger and cargo ports and also the new highway which connects Split with Zagreb and big European cities.

The city was founded more than 1700 years ago on a place where a small ancient Greek village was settled. Afterwards the region was conquered by the Romans and the Roman imperator built a palace here in 305. The palace became the heart of Split. The city grew around the palace, people from other cities moved here in search for protection from the barbarians. Despite of its age the palace of Diocletian remained well and is still the main sight of Split. Within the palace you can see: the Cathedral of Saint Domnius – an eight –angle cathedral with a high bell tower, Peristyle – a hall under the open sky, Vestibule – a round hall crowned with a dome, the church of Jupiter.

It is also interesting to visit:

- The ruins of Salona with an ancient amphitheatre, the remains of villas, churches and palaces
- Public square – the main square in Split. It played a role of the city center, municipality buildings were built around it. An old town hall ( XV century) is located here
- The Republic square – a Mediterranean square where many cultural actions take place
- The monument of Gregory of Nin – a priest who won the right to preach on the Croatian language; during World War II the monument was broken into two halves and buried, afterwards it was restored and now it is believed to fulfill wishes if one rubs its toe.

During its long history the city survived the impact of many different civilizations. That is why Split is known to have a mixture of all possible architecture styles. Here modern business centers are right near to the historical monuments. The city is famous for its museums and galleries, which hold many Worlds exhibitions.

Split isn’t just a tourist destination but of course the main developed sphere is the touristic one. The city is popular for its pebble beaches. The sea has a bright turquoise color due to the Deposit of quartzite. Despite of the two ports nearby the water is very clear and in some places you can see down up to 50 meters deep. The climate is very mild here, the landscape is unbelievable and the pine trees provide a lot of fresh air and cool shade during the summer heat.