Split, Croatia

Split
Split's coat of arms
County	Split-Dalmatia county
Area	18 km²
Altitude	3 m
Location	43°30′N 16°26′E
Population	188,694
Official Site	www.split.hr

For other uses, see Split, Croatia (disambiguation).

Split (Italian: Spalato, Latin: Aspalathos) is the largest and most important city in Dalmatia, the administrative center of Croatia's Split-Dalmatia county. It is situated on a small peninsula on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea. Absolute majority of its citizens are Croats with 95.15% (2001 census).

Situated on a peninsula between the eastern part of the Gulf of Kastela and the Split Channel. A hill, Marjan (178 m), rises in the western part of the peninsula. The ridges Kozjak (780 m) and Mosor (1,330 m) protect the city from the north and northeast, and separate it from the hinterland. Split has the Mediterranean climate: hot dry summers (average air temperature in July reaches 36°C) and mild, humid winters (average annual rainfall is 900 mm). Split is one of the sunniest places in Europe. Vegetation is of the evergreen Mediterranean type, and subtropical flora (palm-trees, agaves, cacti) grows in the city and its surroundings. Marjan is covered with a cultivated forest.

History

Narodni Trg (Pjaca) in Split

Although the beginnings of Split are usually linked to the building of Diocletian's Palace, there is evidence that this area was inhabited as a Greek colony even earlier.

Diocletian was a Roman emperor who ruled between AD 284 and 305 and was known for his reforms and persecution of Christians. He ordered the work on the palace to begin in 293 in readiness for his retirement from politics in 305. The palace faces the sea on its south side and its walls are 170 to 200 m (570 to 700 feet) long and 15 to 20 m (50 to 70 feet) high, and it encloses an area of 38,000 m² (9½ acres).

Roman walls in Split

This massive structure was long deserted when the first citizens of Split settled inside its walls. In 639, the interior was converted into a town by the citizens of Salona who escaped the destruction of their town by the Avars. Over the centuries, the city has spread out over the surrounding landscape, but even today the palace constitutes the inner core of the city, still inhabited, full of shops, markets, squares, with even a Christian cathedral (formerly Diocletian's mausoleum) inserted in the corridors and floors of the former palace. Although part of Byzantine Empire, the town had political autonomy.

The rise of the Medieval Croatian state in the hinterland provoked in the following centuries a slow Slavinization of Split, which can be seen in the architecture of churches in the city and surroundings, and which led to the unity of the church with Split at the center in 928.

One of the first known rulers of Split was Count Petar (1222-1225), also as Prince of Zahumlje (1198-1227).

At the beginning of the 12th century Split was led by Hungarian nobility. The city however mantained some independence, as in 1312 it issued statues and had a currency of its own.

The famous belfry of the Cathedral

Venetian Republic took control of Split in 1420, when the population was almost all Croat. The autonomy of the city remained, though a little reduced: the highest authority was a prince-captain who was always of Venetian birth.

Veniec held Split until its own downfall in 1797, when the city fell to Austria-Hungary with a brief period of Napoleonic rule (1806–1813).

During the Middle Ages and the Venetian rule Split developed into an important port city with trade routes to the interior through the nearby Klis pass. Culture flourished as well, Split being the hometown of Marko Marulic, one of the classics of Croatian literature, and a place where he wrote Judita (1501, published in 1521), widely held to be the first modern work of literature in Croatian. Under Austria, however, Split stagnated. The general upheavals in Europe starting in 1848 had no ground there.

Split in the 20th century

After the end of World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the province of Dalmatia along with Split became a part of The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (which in 1929 changed its name to Yugoslavia). After both Rijeka and Zadar, the two other large cities on the eastern Adriatic coast, went to Italy, Split became the most important port in Yugoslavia. The Lika railway, connecting it to the rest of the country, was completed in 1925.

Split Harbour

In April 1941, following Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, Split was occupied by Italy and formally annexed one month later. In September 1943, following capitulation of Italy, city was liberated by Partisans only to be occupied by Wehrmacht few weeks later. During the occupation, some of the port facilities as well as parts of the old city were damaged by Allied bombing. Partisans finally liberated the city on October 26th 1944. On February 12th 1945 Kriegsmarine conducted a daring raid on Split harbour, using explosive boats and damaging British cruiser Delhi in the process. Until the end of war Split was provisional capital of Partisans-controlled Croatia.

After WWII, Split became a part of Croatia, itself a constituent republic of the socialist federal Yugoslavia. It continued to grow and develop as an important commercial and cultural center. The city drew a large number of rural migrants who found employment in the newly built factories, a part of a large-scale industrialization effort. In the period between 1945 and 1990, the population tripled and the city expanded, taking up the whole peninsula.

When Croatia declared independence in 1991, Split had large garrison of Yugoslav People's Army, guarding the facilities and headquarters of JRM - Yugoslav Navy. This led to months of tense stand-off between JNA and Croatian military and police forces, occasionally interrupted by various incidents. The most spectacular such incident occurred in November 1991, when JRM, including destroyer Split conducted naval bombardment of the city. This was the only time in history that city was bombarded by a military vessel bearing its name. JNA finally evacuated all of its facilities in January 1992

Split is sometimes credited as Dalmatia's capital, but there is no such governmental unit as Dalmatia today.

Economy

Split's Harbor

The city is still feeling the effects of the difficult transition to market economy, worsened by the depression caused by Croatia's war of independence. In the Yugoslav era, it was an important economic centre with a diverse industrial base including shipbuilding, food, chemical, plastics, clothing, paper industry etc. Today most of the socialist factories are closed down and the city has been concentrating on commerce and services, consequently leaving many factory workers unemployed. Despite everything, it has managed to maintain its position as an important transportation, commercial, and administrative center of Dalmatia, ensuring stable, though rather slow economic growth.

The prospects for the future look brighter. The city is expected to benefit from the completion of the first modern four-lane highway connecting it with the capital Zagreb and northern Croatia. The entire route was opened in July 2005. Today, city's economy relies mostly on trade and tourism with some old industries undergoing revival, such as food (fishing, olive, wine production), paper, concrete, and chemicals.

Transportation

Split is an important transportation centre for Dalmatia and the wider region. In addition to the Zagreb-Split highway (A1), all the road traffic along the Adriatic coast on the route Zadar–Dubrovnik flows by the city. The airport in Kaštela is the third largest in Croatia in terms of passenger numbers (788,000 in 2004), with year-round services to Zagreb and Frankfurt in Germany and heavy tourist traffic in the summer.

Split passenger seaport is one of the largest on the eastern Adriatic coast with daily coastal routes to Rijeka, Dubrovnik and Ancona in Italy. During summer season Split is connected with other Italian cities as well (like Pescara). Most of the middle Dalmatian islands are only reachable through the Split harbour (usually with Jadrolinija ferries). This includes both the closer islands of Brač, Hvar and Šolta, and the more distant Vis, Korcula and Lastovo.

Culture

Statue of Gregory of Nin by Ivan Meštrović, 1929.

Split is also known as one of the centres of Croatian culture.

Its literary tradition can be traced to medieaval times, and includes names like Marko Marulić, while in more modern times Split excelled by authors famous for their sense of humour. Among them the most notable is Miljenko Smoje.

Split also houses two important archeological museums - one dedicated to antique, another to early medieval period.

But the most recognisable aspect of Split culture is popular music. Notable composers include Ivo Tijardović, Zdenko Runjić - some of the most influential musicians in former Yugoslavia.

Split also had one of the first Croatian hip-hop groups - The Beat Fleet (TBF).

There is great cultural activity during summers, when the prestigious Split Music Festival is held, followed by Split Summer (Splitsko ljeto) theatre festival.

Despite colourful settings and characters, as well as cinema tradition that could be traced to early 20th Century and works of Josip Karaman, there were relativley few films shot in or around Split.

Sport

Split's most famous resident is the former tennis star Goran Ivanišević. Another rising tennis star is "Little Goran", Mario Ančić, also from Split. The local football team is Hajduk Split. Basketball is also popular, with notable players like Toni Kukoč and Dino Rađa. Members of local club rowing club Gusar won numerous Olympic and world championship medals. Other popular sports are: swimming, handball and sailing.

The biggest sports events to be held in Split were the Mediterranean Games in 1979 and the European Athletics Championships in 1990.

Picigin is a local sport played on several of the city beaches (Bačvice etc). It is played in shallow water with a small ball.

External links

• Official Split web page
• City of Split guide
• Diocletian palace - in English
• Torcida football fans
• Split, Croatia Weather Forecast
• split.portal