The Trogir Cathedral

The cathedral of Sv. Lovre (Ivan) takes an important place among Trogir's monuments, not only as a church, but also as a building on which, styles ranging from Romanesque to Baroque can be seen and which houses valuable artistry. The building of the cathedral started around 1200 and was finished in full in 1589, when the last storey of the bell tower was completed, which lasted almost two centuries. The first storey was built in Gothic style and is the work of Matija Gojković, the second storey has the characteristics of the Venetian Flower Gothic style of the 15th century, the third was finished at the end of the 16th century, while the fourth pyramidical storey is adorned by four Manneristic sculptures. The entry to the cathedral is through the forecourt, which has a baptismal font at the bottom of it and which is the work of Andrija Aleši. The western, Radovan's portal inside the cathedral was completed in 1240 and has the year of building and the author's name marked on it at the base of the lunette. By passing through the portal, we enter inside the three-nave church with narrow, Romanesque windows, and two semi-circular apsides on the eastern side, the central one holding the main altar and the work of craftsman Mavro, and wooden, choir chairs, the work of Ivan Budislavić from the 15th century. The first constructed organ from 1485 is the work of Father Urbin. One of the most magnificent parts of the church is the chapel of Ivan Orsinij, which has the role of a mausoleum and a church hall at the same time. In the cathedral's sacristy – its treasures, the gold and silver artefacts that the church received during its centuries of existence, are on display. The floor above houses an extensive capitular library.

The Kamerlengo fortress

The Kamerlengo fortress is located on the south-western side of the city at the end of the fortifications. The Genoese built a nonagonal tower as the base of their naval fleet on the Adriatic. Immediately after the occupation of Trogir in 1420, Venice extended the tower into the formidable Kamerlengo fortress, such that signs of building in several stages are noticeable on it. It was named after the town Magistrate Camerarius, who conducted its financial and economic works. It was under construction till 1437 and was used for housing the Venetian military garrison in the still insubordinate town of that time. During its construction, Lorenzo Pincino, the state's engineer was consulted, while the construction was performed by master artisan Marin Radoje. Access to the crowning room and the top of the fortress is possible today.

Marina

Marina is a small settlement with a port, “threaded” along the coast at the base of the bay, with a recognisable tower-hotel Biskupova kula (Bishop’s tower), built in the 16th century for Trogir’s bishop, who came there to find refuge from the Turks.

Salona

It is believed that this city was already established by the 4th century before Christ and that it was under strong influence of the Greek colonies, but, only with the coming of the Romans in the 1st century did the city develop and expand. It became an important port, a political, military and trade centre. Temples, thermal spas, a forum, amphitheatre, squares, storage houses, public and residential buildings were constructed. In the battle between the Cesar and Pompeii, the town took Cesar's side, who eventually won the war. As a sign of his gratitude, he promoted it to a colony – “Colonia Martia Julia Salona”.

Salona was an important centre, which draws many to come here and find their place under the sun. One of them was Gaj Aurelie Valerie Diocletian, the Roman emperor himself. He is said to have originated from a Patrician family from this region. Before the end of his life, he wished for a palace to be built for him and decided to do it on the peninsula next to Salona, in a natural cove that faces south. It has also been stated that the Cesar had arthritis, and as there were sulphurous springs there, beneficial to his emperor’s bones, the order came: “Build me a palace!”. That is how history of Split begun.

The town of Solin played an important role in Croatia’s history as the crowning town of Croatian rulers. Its importance is also demonstrated by the numerous monuments from that era, such as the Šuplja crkva (Hollow church), ruins of a castle, treasuries and the findings on the Gospin otok (The Island of Our Lady), where diggings near the present day Solin Parish Church revealed the foundations of churches from the 10th century, along with the grave of Queen Jelena.

Diocletian's palace

Diocletian’s palace is one of the best preserved monuments of Roman architecture in the world. Cesar's palace was built as an appropriate interpolation of various contents of a luxury villa – a summer residence, resembling a scheme of a Roman military camp (castrum), divided into four parts by two main streets. In that design, the southern end of the palace was foreseen for the emperor, his residence and fitting national and religious ceremonials, while the northern part was for the emperor's guards – army, servants, storage space and similar.

The palace is rectangular in shape (around 215 x 180 m) with four large towers at the corners, four doors on each side and four smaller towers on the walls. The lower part of the walls is without any openings, while the upper storey is thrown open with a monumental arcade in the southern part and hallways with large arching windows on the other three sides. During the centuries, the Palace's residents, and then the residents of Split as well, adapted those spaces for their needs, such that the inside of the buildings, as well as the exterior walls with towers, were largely altered from their original appearance.

Blaca

From the Blaca cove, you get to one of the most spectacular mountainous excursion centres on the Adriatic – the famous BLACA Glagolitic desert, erected along a high, sheer cliff. It is well known for its extensive library and the astronomical observatory.

Hvar

Hvar's theatre
In 1612, once the wounds inflicted by the Turks to the city in 1571 had healed a little, and the quarrels between the town's folk had subsided, Hvar's theatre was opened. As such, this theatre was the oldest communal theatre in Europe.

Fortica
The town's fortress on Hvar is known by the name of Fortica. It rises above the town and its dominating position allowed it to protect the town with the aid of its cannons. It was built on the remains of a Middle Ages fortress from the 16th century, while the buildings within the fortress were constructed during the time of Austrian rulership.

Sv. Stjepan Square and cathedral
The town square, 4500 m2 in size is the largest in Dalmatia. Its eastern side is closed off by the cathedral and the bishop's palace that houses a museum. The northern and southern sides of the square are closed off by numerous public buildings and palaces. In the middle of the square, in front of the cathedral, there is a large well that dates to 1520.

Franciscan monastery
The Franciscan monastery is situated next to the cove by the name of Križa, on the southern end of the town. It was built between 1461 and 1471 as a shelter for sailors. The baptismal font, with its rounded arcades and a spring in the middle, dominates over the entire Renaissance monastery. The whole complex is surrounded by gardens and fenced off with a wall.

Napoleon fortress
In 1811, during the time of Napoleon's rule, a fortress was built on a fairly high hill of Sv. Nikola Veliki (the Great), to the east of the town fort. It was built in the location that used to house the Middle Ages army, sea observation post and a small chapel.

Vis

The town of Vis has endured from the time of the ancient Issa – the oldest urban settlement on the Croatian soil. The port of Vis was always of exceptional significance, perhaps the greatest on the whole Adriatic. Due to its strategic importance, many naval battles were fought there, even since the time of the Illyrian-Roman wars and all the way to the time of the Homeland War.

Don't forget to see the archaeological monuments of the town of Vis, which grew along the remains of the ancient Issa, the first urban centre in Croatia.
During their four year rule over the island, during the time of the Napoleon Wars (1811 – 1815), the English built several fortresses on the hills surrounding the bay.

Komiža

It is thought that Komiža received its name from the phrase 'Comme Issa' (like Vis), but other theories exist on this as well. However, majority agree that the settlement is around 850 years old; at least the 850th anniversary was recently celebrated. Along Komiža's most beautiful beach, there is a small Renaissance church know as Gusarica. The church was built at the end of the 16th century.

In 1585, during Venice's rule over the island of Vis, the Venetian providur (in charge of Venice’s military and civilian matters) Grimaldi had a tower built. It was of a defensive character, and it foremostly served as protection from the frequent raids by pirates.

Stari Grad

To be able to get closer to Stari Grad, located at the base of a four mile deep bay, we need to step back in time. Back to 385 B.C., to the time when the ancient Greeks from the island of Pharos, under the patronage of an Illyrian island of that time, in the location of the town of today, formed their colony Pharos, an important stronghold of Adriatic's ancient past.

The old Greek settlement has remained buried beneath the Stari Grad of today and only some of the fragmented architectural remains show its original appearance, such as the parts of 11 metre long Greek fortifications, so called Cyclops walls. These walls are a part of the northern town wall, while the eastern walls can only be seen behind the church of Sv. Ivan. The stone blocks of the town walls have been created in the foundations of the bell tower and reveal that this was the location of the main entrance to the town.

Stari Grad is abundant in archaeological findings and architectural monuments, the most famous of which is the villa of Petar Hektorović. Hektorović (1487-1572) is the author of the first realistic epic song of the Croatian Renaissance literature “Ribanje and ribarsko prigovaranje” (Fishermen and Fishermen’s Conversations). His summer residence is the central protective building in the town, and the design of the building was his idea. The villa contains a fish pond connected to the sea via a channel and a large garden, while the entire building, once by the sea, is today a museum.