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ABOUT SPLIT
Laganini...
Which means - Take it easy, there's no need to hurry
POPULATION:
approximately 180,000 people
Currency -
Euro (EUR), as of January 2023
LANGUAGE: official language spoken in Split is Croatian
The Origins of Split
Split's origins can be traced back to the 5th century BC when the Delmati, one of the Illyrian tribes (from where the word Dalmatia comes from), settled here. When they were conquered in 229 BC by the Greeks, the town became known as Aspalathos—named after the bright yellow flower bushes that envelop the coast and hills every spring.
A little more than a century later, the Romans ruled Dalmatia and remained here until their regional capital, Salona (today's present-day Solin), was sacked by Slavs in the early 7th century. The Roman legacy is what is most enduring about Split, particularly the time of culture and prosperity preserved in Diocletian's Palace, designed as a walled fortress “retirement home“ for the Emperor. Completed in 305 AD, it took 10 years to build. At that time, Salona, just 6 km away from the Palace, was a vast, cultured city of 60,000, while the Palace itself housed only 2,000 people—comprising the Emperor's family, retinue, soldiers, laborers, and other common folk.
From Refuge to Resilience
The city we know today as Split was actually founded by refugees after Salona was sacked in the early 7th century. Those who staggered into Aspalathos were given sanctuary in the Palace basements by Byzantine rulers. Over time, they moved out of the basement and began using parts of the Palace to create permanent dwellings.
This is why the once-straight, wide Roman streets in the Palace are now narrow and serpentine. As new structures were built, residents cut holes in the streets to throw down debris and human waste, eventually filling the entire basement substructures. Feeling secure within the Palace walls, the town never grew beyond them for over 1,000 years. When the sub-structures under the south side of the Palace were excavated in 1956, historians were amazed at how perfectly preserved the walls and ceilings were—centuries of waste had held them up and kept the entire structure intact!
The Evolution of Split
Eventually, the population inside the walls grew too large. Feeling secure enough to venture out, residents began building houses near the Western gate—where today's Pjaca and the Venetian-era City Hall are located—creating what is now the Varos neighborhood. Although the Roman epoch is fundamental to Split, its 400-year Venetian era also left a mark, with numerous Venetian-era palaces throughout the Old Town and Palace. Following a brief French rule under Napoleon, which brought significant improvements to the city, Dalmatia continued to be a prize fought over by various powers, including the Austro-Hungarians, Serbs, and Slovenians. Finally, in 1991, Croatia became independent.
Today, the Old Town, including the Palace, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, ensuring that Split's 1,700-year history remains alive for future generations to enjoy as a magnificent living city.
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