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Published: September 17th 2020
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Welcome to Split
Let me be your guide ... 101 km South of Vodice following the Jadranska Magistrala (Route no 8) lies Split, the second largest city of Croatia and by far the biggest and most important city in Dalmatia, despite only having 160'000 inhabitants. Since the end of the war Croatia experienced a massive shift and decline of its 4.1 million population. Migration from the impoverished countryside along the Serb and Bosnian borders to Zagreb and migration of the younger population to other EU countries, made the population shrink by more than 300'000.
Split is known for its proud and laid back people, fashion conscious ladies, its rich history, music, art, its promenades and a million and one cafes and restaurants, and of course for Hajduk Split, its local football club. Ahhh not to forget Goran Ivnisevic, the only Wimbledon champion Croatia has (so far), along with many other sporting greats, who won world championships and Olympic medals in basketball, handball, water polo, athletics, weight lifting and others.
The city was founded as the Greek colony of Aspálathos in the 2nd century BC and later on was home to Diocletian's Palace, built for the Roman emperor Diocletian in 305 AD. Around 1000 AD Split became subsequently a
Byzantine city under the influence of Constantinople and was over centuries contested between the Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Croatia. Venice eventually prevailed. As a Venetian city and trading outpost it was heavily fortified against the Ottoman territory surrounding it. As Venice fell to Napoleon, so did Split, becoming part of the Illyrian Provinces in 1809. After Napoleons defeat Split was granted to the Austrian Empire following the Congress of Vienna, where it remained a part of Austria-Hungary until 1918. Thereafter it was subjected to the dictatorship of the short-lived kingdom of Yugoslavia (effectively kingdom of Serbia with its rulers the dynasty of the Karadordevic), annexed by Mussolini and liberated by the Partisans in 1944. It became part of the post-war Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, as part of its republic of Croatia. Since 1991 Split is a proud part of independent Croatia.
Split's economy is still suffering the backlash from the recession caused by the transfer to a market economy and privatization after the communist Yugoslav era. The city had been then a highly significant economic centre with a modern and diverse industrial and economic base, including shipbuilding, food, chemical, plastics, textile, and paper industry, in addition
Riva during mid-day
deserted.... too hot to large revenues from tourism. In 1981 Split's GDP per capita was 37% above the Yugoslav average. Today, most of the factories are out of business, or are far below pre-war production and employment capacity. The city has been trying to concentrate on tourism, commerce and services, consequently leaving an alarmingly large number of factory workers unemployed.
In normal years September is still a month where the old city of Split is flooded by tourists from all over the world. Well 2020 Covid dynamics and especially after many European countries put Croatia on the red list, Nenad and Nui were feeling mighty privileged. Only a small number of tourists competed with us for the good photo shooting spots. The locals usually this time of the year stressed out, had time for longer chats, which Nenad enjoyed having. No reservations were needed for anything and prices became 'localized'. When walking through the narrow streets, which are all pedestrian zones, it pays off to look at architectural details. They reflect Splits turbulent past of Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Catholic (Venicean/Habsburg) periods. Also some monuments from the partisan war in 1941-1945 and the independence fight in the 90's can be found.
Our room with a view
on the National Square (Piazza) We managed to get a wonderful room with a view over the Main Square (Piazza) in the old city, a stone throw away from the famous Diocletian Palace. Being at the pulse of history we sniffed in length through the narrow streets, climbing century old marble stairs, exploring cafes and shops. The heat was becoming a bit of a problem for sightseeing, as we experienced temperatures of up to 35 degrees. The visiting highlights are well documented in many travel guides and we do not want to reiterate them here. We would recommend a visit to the Gallery of Ivan Mestrovic, a Croatian sculpture, architect and writer of the early 20th century. His most successful years as an artist had been between the two world wars. Imprisoned by the Nazis he managed to escape and migrated to the US, where he worked and lectured at the University of Syracuse, NY and University of Notre Dame, Indiana.
A morning jog or walk to the Marjan forest, situated on a hill with lovely views adjacent to the old city, is a nice change to the stone on stone appeal the old city has. Would you like to take pictures of the
city from its viewpoint, the later afternoon is a better timing.
Gregory of Nin was a medieval Croatian bishop, who strongly opposed the Pope and official circles of the Church and introduced the national language in the religious services after the Great Assembly in 926. Until that time, services were held only in Latin, not being understandable to a majority of the population. Not only was this important for Croatian language and culture, but it also made Christianity stronger within the Croatian kingdom. His statue stands in a park next to the old city. It was made by Mestrovic.
A stroll through the quarter of Veli Varos with its numerous little shops and cafes, old but at times nicely renovated houses, reflects the laid back atmosphere of the city. The cuisine is dominated by Dalmatian fish & sea food, lamb and of course the smoked ham and very dry goat cheese. Alcohol and nicotine is a constant companion of the local population; although you will seldom see really drunk locals. This is a bit different with tourists of mainly Anglo-Saxon and Germanic origins. And music is heard from every cafe. The life music scene in the evening has
been somewhat depressed this year due to the Covid restrictions. In the evening the rather disciplined anti virus behavior of the day (distancing, mask wearing in shops, etc) gives way to the usual noisy and congested bar happenings. There are so many lovely outdoor places to enjoy your wine, we never felt bothered by any of it. The red wine from Dalmatia has a great tradition, dating back to the Ancient Greek settlers, and their wine production on the southern Dalmatian islands of Vis, Hvar and Korčula some 2,500 years ago. Wine is a popular drink in Croatia, and locals traditionally like to drink wine with their meals, often producing it themselves from grapes from their lands. Quite often, the wine is diluted with either still or sparkling water, producing a drink known as "gemischt" or spritzer, (a combination of white wine and carbonated water) and bevanda (a combination of red wine and still water). After weeks of Dalmatian specialties and olive oil based dishes, we stumbled across an Asian restaurant run by four young Vietnamese in a small side street in Split, and couldn't resist .......
Split has a large marina for private ships. Along the marina is
a promenade locals call "Riva", lined with cafes and restaurants. It is famous for evening togetherness. Ladies show what they have in their wardrobe and guys observe and comment not without risk if you are in the presence of your girl. To stroll up and down the Riva in high heel shoes of course, touching with every step the 1000 years old marble floor, is a must for every female visitor. Being invited thereafter to the numerous Cafes and restaurants is the honor of their companions !!!. In the marina you can often observe sailing or motor yachts of incredible size and beauty anchoring for the night. Split's harbor is an important hub for the Jadrolinija ferries which connect the numerous islands with the mainland. Jadrolinija is Croatia's largest liner shipping company for the maritime transport of passengers and vehicles, with a hundred year long tradition. The Company was founded in 1947 in Rijeka. It has grown out of the ferry fleet the Habsburg's have founded pre WW I and operates today about 70 ships, mostly ferries. This ferry service we shall use next, to transit with our car to the island of Brac, approximately a 45 min ride across
the Split Straits.
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