Split is a modern Mediterranean city with a 1700-year old history and also a business, administrative and cultural capital of Dalmatia. Split is located on a peninsula between bay of Kastela, channel of Split, and Marjan Forest Park to the west.
Split has a mild Mediterranean climate; dry and hot summers and mild, humid winter, which makes it one of the sunniest cities in Europe with an average of 7 sunshine hours per day and an average temperature of 26 °C in July. There are four yacht marinas in Spit: ACI Marina Split, yach club Spinut, yach club Poljud and yach club Zenta. Split harbour is located close to city center and it is used for passenger and vehicle traffic. Split is an important Croatian port in terms of passenger and goods traffic. It is the center of maritime, railway and road connections to Dalmatia's numerous resorts. Ferries operate regularly between Split and the central Dalmatian islands, as well as to Ancona in Italy. Ship connections are also established with Pula, Venice, Dubrovnik and Greece. The airport of Split is situated in Resnik (Kastela).
Worth visiting is Marjan Forest Park, the green oasis the citizens of Split have been proud of for generations, carefully maintained and cherished. The park includes promenades, vista points, solariums, nature paths, playgrounds and the Split zoo. A marvellous view is offered from the top of Marjan on the old and new parts of Split. It takes only 15 minutes of pleasant walking to reach Marjan from the historical core of Split through the old quarter Varos. The Marjan stairway, running along the crest of the hill, leads to another, higher top of Marjan, Telegrin, with a vista point offering prospect on the Split peninsula, Kozjak, Mosor, the Kastela Gulf, Salona and Klis, Trogir and Ciovo, and the islands of Solta, Brac, Hvar and Vis. The southern cliffs of Marjan represent in recent times a very good training ground for mountaineers and free climbers, who gather here every April on the occasion of the traditional Marjan Cup.
Split is known for good restaurants and wine cellars, offering domestic specialities. There are many beaches and public beaches in the city and its surroundings, the most popular of them being Bacvice, a sand beach almost in the very heart of the town.
Sports, culture and arts
Split is a major sports centre (the 1979 Mediterranean Games) with many famous and popular sports clubs and competitors. There are also many sports facilities for recreational purposes. Some of the greatest sportsman who were born is Split are: Goran Ivanisevic, Toni Kukoc, Dino Rada.
The old town is founded inside a well-known Palace of Diocletian, inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the most valuable piece of Roman architecture on the east coast of Adriatic Sea. To be able to comprehend the historical significance of the city, one should first visit St.Dominus Cathedral, Papalic palace (15th century Gothic architecture, today known as Museum of Split), Agubio Palace, statue of Grgur Ninski (work of Ivan Mestrovic), Cindro Palace (baroque architecture), renaissance monasteries, St.Amir Chappel (1445.), the Mestrovic Gallery, fort of Gripe (17th century), the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments - a capital Croatian cultural project, established in 1893 in Knin; the Archaeological Museum from 1820, one of the oldest in Croatia.
The cultural and entertainment offer of Split is extremely rich, particularly in the summer, when the city squares, yards and other areas turn into a large open-air stage. The Split Summer, a traditional festival in the middle of the summer season, includes dramas, operas and concerts (from mid-July to mid-August). The Split Saturday Nights are devoted to classical music. Split also hosts pop-music events, the Art-Summer, folklore shows, the folk feast Day of Radunica, and many others. Major cultural events during the year are the Days of Marulic (in April), the Book of the Mediterranean (in October), and the traditional events include the Day of the Holy Cross, the Flowers Show, the Ball of Split, wine show and other. The Day of St. Doimus (Duje), who is the patron saint of the city, is commemorated on the 7th of May.
History
Split emerged from an old Greek town of Aspalathos. Around the year of 300 BC, Diocletian built a luxury palace where he spent the rest of his life. Since that time a palace served for exiled roman emperors and their families. After the crash of Salona, its inhabitants fled inside the palace walls and new town emerged. In 1069, King Petar Kresimir integrated Split with Croatia. In 1420, Split came under the protection of Venice. After the fall of Venice in 1797, Split was shortly under the jurisdiction of Austria, who handed it over to France in 1805. Later in 1882, Split came back under the Croatian authority. During all that time Split was the most important port on the east Adriatic coast.
