Split

It was in 295 when Roman emperor Gaius Valerius Aurelius Diocletianus started building a palace in a cove covered in Spanish broom on the Dalmatian coast, in the land of his birth. After his abdication in 305, the retired ruler left Nicomedia and settled in the palace wishing to spend the rest of his days there. The trapeziform palace occupies a surface area of 28,900 meters square.

After the death of Diocletian, the palace remained under imperial government and the conversion of the palace into a town, started in the seventh century when the inhabitants of the nearby Salona, under the invasion of Avars and Slavs, took shelter there. In the tenth and eleventh century, Split was governed by Croatian kings.

At the beginning of the twelfth century, as well as other Dalmatian towns, it was ruled by Croatian-Hungarian kings and from the beginning of the fifteenth to mid eighteenth century they were replaced by Venetian administration.

In the eighteenth century, after a short-lived French rule, Split falls under Austria-Hungarian Empire. After the First World War, the role of Split as a cultural, administrative and economic centre was becoming more and more important, which reflected on the increase in the number of its citizens. The Second World War brought suffering and bombing. The peaceful period that ensued contributed to the extremely dynamic development of the city.

The Croatian War of Independence did not inflict direct damage to the city, but the city stagnated economically due to accepting refugees. By opening its doors to tourists, through its millennial culture, Split opens the door of Croatia today.

Split is the city living at slow pace, to which you will get accustomed very soon. The feeling that every day is a holiday here, squares, restaurants and cafes overfilled with people and unavoidable promenade "riva", ruled by a gentle refreshing landward breeze in summer, and in winter the Mediterranean sun and the palace protect the city from cold like a winter coat. It can all be summed up into a single word - you feel. That is a real deja vu feeling, which can e experienced only in cities where centuries clash offering its distinction through details. The City of Split is located in the central part of the eastern Adriatic coast, between the rivers Žrnovnica in the east and Jadro in the west.

Split offers the shade of the Marjan forest in the west part of the peninsula, 15 kilometres of promenades stretching along the sea and Dalmatian song on stony streets of the old town centre. It is famous for its climatic advantages, since it is positioned on one of the sunniest parts of the central Mediterranean with extremely great number of 2,700 sunshine hours a year.


Zadar

The Capital of Dalmatia through centuries, and nowadays the regional centre, this city has rich monumental heritage of world importance, which is visible at every step even today.
The Roman forum from the 1st century, the Church of St. Donatus from the 9th century – the most important medieval basilica and the symbol of the city, renovated Romanesque Church of St. Krševan from the 12th century and the bell tower of St.  Mary from 1105 , the cathedral of St. the St. Anastasia from the 13th century; the People's Square with the Municipal Loggia and Guardhouse from the 16th century, as well as the mighty fortification walls with representative Port and Land gates from the 16th century and the Three and Five Wells Squares, many palaces, villas and the rest of monumental heritage.

Based on a three thousand years old tradition, the Zadar region has evolved to take up 14% of the total territory of the Republic of Croatia, and about 12% of the territorial sea, with as many islands as there are days in the year plus an islands' surface area of approximately 580 km square. Just offshore from the 1,200 km long coast, the most indented coastline in the Mediterranean, there is an array of four strings of islands starting from the largest: Pag, Dugi otok, Ugljan, Pašman, to the smallest: Silba, Molat, Olib, Premuda, Iž, Vrgada, Sestrunj.

Its appeal is due greatly to its natural situation in the very middle of the Adriatic coast, and to four surrounding national parks: the Plitvice Lakes, the mountain park of Paklenica, the unique waterfalls of River Krka and a string of magnificent islands known as Kornati. No less attractive are the nature parks: Telašćica, the canyon of the Zrmanja River and the largest natural lake in Croatia –Lake Vrana in the vicinity of Biograd. It is possible to reach the central Zadar Riviera region with equal facility from all directions and by all means of transportation.

The town of Zadar is not only known for its historical and cultural monuments but also for its well-supplied vegetable and fish markets on the peninsula (the old part of the town). The market is daily supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables from the rich hinterland of “Ravni Kotari”, the fruitful land around Lake Vrana and the islands of Ugljan and Pašman. Judged by the variety of goods on offer, it is one of the largest markets in Croatia. The market is not only visited for providing indispensable groceries, but also to enjoy the bustle, the abundance of colours and the haggle with local female merchants.

In the close vicinity of the “green market” there is a fish market with an exceptionally abundant offer of fish, molluscs and mussels, as well as salted sardines by piece. The fish market is situated close to the waterfront, where fishing boats of all sizes jostle in the morning carrying fresh fish. The fishing tradition in these parts is very old (1995 marked the 1000th anniversary of the first written account of fishing in Croatia – Sali / Dugi Otok) and the most famous fishing town on the Adriatic, Kali, is situated on the island of Ugljan.

Just as at the market, here too it is necessary to haggle with the merchants, and, even if on that particular day you end up without fish on your menu, you will still have enjoyed the scent of the sea and heard fishermen's squabble in the local dialect


The Grisogno Palace

It is situated on the corner of the Don Ivo Prodan and Ilija Smiljanić streets. Originally it consisted of two Romanesque houses connected by a one-story wing, whereas the second storey, added in the second half of the 15th century, was constructed in the Gothic-Renaissance scenery. The courtyard, with its arcade, was completed in the 16th century, but with Gothic elements incorporated. Nowadays, this is the seat of the Zadar’s Commission of the State Administration for the Preservation of Cultural Monuments.


St. Donatus' Church

The monumental building in the pre-Romanesque style that Bishop Donatus had built in the 9th century, and which has borne his name since the 15th century onwards. For its construction many pieces left over from Roman ruins were used, and this is why there are parts of Roman temple pillars, cornices and architraves in the foundations. The church is mentioned and described by a Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos in the 10th century The church has long since not been used for religious purposes. It has excellent acoustics and has, therefore, been used for musical performances of the famous International festival of medieval Renaissance music, "The Musical Evenings in St. Donatus" for more than thirty years.


The Captain's Tower

It is situated close to the captain's residential quarters and represents a rare sample of medieval fortification construction. During the Venetian rule, the town was jointly governed by the town duke and captain. Zadar was the only Dalmatian town that had two persons holding these functions  The Venetians took care of the accommodation of their administrators by building palaces for them, and a part of them has been conserved until today and reconstructed in the form of a pentagonal tower.


Šibenik

The town of Šibenik has been honouring St. Michael from its earliest days, and therefore the most ancient religious facility built in the town centre, in the citadel, was dedicated precisely to this heavenly patron. Believing in the aid, strength and protection of the saint archangel, the people of Šibenik used his figure, which symbolizes victory and fearlessness, for their coat of arms and seal. That way they announced the fighting spirit and the power of town municipality that would fight to retain its rights like its patron and always win.

On the territory of the entire Šibenik bishopric St. Michael has been celebrated and honoured over the centuries. In his honour the churches in Murter, Raslina, Kijevo, Mitlo, Vršina near Dubrava, Pokrovnik, Oklaj and Lišani have been erected. St. Michael is the most popular heavenly archangel. His name in Hebrew means „who is like God“. In the Western church he has been honoured since the 6th century and from the time of his apparition Monte Gargano in Apulia. His feast day is celebrated on May 8 and September 29, and Šibenik celebrates it on September 29, which is at the same time the town's festivity day.