Thursday, June 21, 2012
Upon my arrival in Split, I found an advertisement in my hotel room for another free walking tour app for my Ipod. I decided to download it and try it out today. This one had a few more locations than the first one I downloaded, it followed my progress (so I always knew where I was) and had audio commentary so I didn't need to read anything. After some breakfast I set out to tour Diocletian's Palace.
The view from my hotel window. This courtyard and the statue made a great backdrop for some street entertainment in the evenings. Officially known as Revival Square, it has become commonly known as Fruit Square due to the fact that it use to be used as a market where people could buy bread, meat and of course fruit.
A look at one portion of Diocletian's Palace. You will find it in the centre of Split and is surrounded entirely by a wall. In the middle you will find many hotels, restaurants, stores, museums etc etc. It really is the centre of the city.
Diocletian's Palace was built at the start of the 4th Century by Roman Emperor Diocletian. At the time the name of the place was Aspalathos which means broom plant. The name Split is derived from this. It is shaped like an irregular rectangle that formed a combination of Military fortress and Imperial villa (the northern part for soldiers and servants and southern part for the Emperor).
My tour started here.....at The Brass Gate. It is roughly 2 thousand years old and was one of a few gates in and out of the Palace. This one however shows evidence of an old sea port nearby. It is believed that this was an important escape route to the sea if the Palace was attacked.
The next stop was here at the Basement Halls. Their primary function was to provide an even surface for the palace above due to the areas skewed terrain. These basement halls have the same layout at the residential area above so although the palace in the surface has been reconstructed and lost it's original form, these basement halls can be used to reconstruct the layout of the original palace.
The Peristyle by daylight, still abuzz with people and the perfect place to find a guided walked tour if you want one. Return at night though and it is always full of music.....and sometimes dancing.
The Bell Tower of St. Dominus Cathedral. The Cathedral is actually consecrated to the Assumption of Virgin Mary but most people are use to calling it St. Dominus Cathedral. The Cathedral is named for the patron saint of Split, Saint Dominus (St. Duju), who was persecuted along with 7 other Christians by Emperor Diocletian. After the Emperor's death Christians were free to practice their religion and a basilica was built on the graves of the martyrs.
One of the 2 lions that guard the entrance to the cathedral.
The first flight of stairs up the bell tower.
Part way up the bell tower. Construction on the bell tower started in the 13th century and took until the 16th century to complete. In the 20th century it was totally renovated. Some of the original Romanesque and Gothic features were lost and some of them can be found on display in the city museum.
The view from the bell tower. You can make out one of the many cruise ships in the area.
Oh look, more stairs. I guess I'm not at the top yet.
A look out onto Diocletian's Palace and beyond.
Once again looking out at the port with the ferry dock on the left and that giant cruise ship right in the middle.
More of the Palace. I think I'll check out some of those umbrellas on the left a bit later. I'm sure that means there is a cafe there.
I love looking at the old red roofs of this ancient city.
Another look at the bell tower.
Once I left the bell tower I made my way into the Cathedral itself. Of course no pictures allowed inside so I can't share that with you. What I can tell you is that they don't let you go in the main doors...you have to walk all the way around the back and then exit out of the main doors.......where there is a giant curtain put up so no one can steal a glance at the inside without paying first.
Eventually I left the Cathedral and moved my way onto the next spot on my tour which was The St. John Baptistry or The Jupiter's Temple.
Inside the Jupiter's Temple. This the Statue of John the Baptist.
Next to The Temple you will find what the locals call "Let Me Pass" Street. It is the narrowest and shortest street in the city. It is only a couple of metres long and is only wide enough for one person to walk at a time......but not with an open umbrella. Yes this is the entire street.
A slightly wider Split street. This one full of little restaurants and ice cream shops.
This is the Iron Gate. The city expanded to the west and this gate eventually was left open. On the left side of the gate you can see the bell tower of St. Theodor, which happens to be the oldest preserved bell tower on the Adriatic Coast from the 11th Century (at least that's what I'm told). It has been renamed Our Lady of the Bell Tower by the locals over the years.
This is the view of the Pjaca from beneath the Iron Gate. It has changed names over the years but this was the first important part of the city outside the palace walls.
The fish market. The building has been here since 1890 and I'm told it is one of the only fish markets in the world that doesn't have a flea problem. Apparently that is due to its proximity to a brimstone water spring.
A little look at some of those fish. I'm told they were all reasonably priced and caught fresh.
This Square officially named The Republic Square was built in 2 phases from 1863 to 1928. There are hotels and restaurants on all sides and the centre is very often host to events and concerts. I would be back to check it out a little bit later in the day.
Outside Diocletian's Palace, Split looks a little bit more like a real city. Busy streets, traffic jams, and people heading to and from work etc.
The Croatian National Theatre, which was built from 1891 to 1893, stands on the square of Gajo Bulat. This is the main theatre in Split and considered to be the most important theatre in Dalmatia (the historical region of Croatia the Split sits in and stretches south to Montenegro).
If you are ever in Split, this is a must see. This is the statue of Grgur Ninski, who was a 10th century Croatian bishop. He was important because at the time church masses were conducted in Latin only but Ninski advocated for the implementation of national language in church practise. It actually wasn't allowed until after the Second Vatican Council held from 1962 until 1965 so Ninski was clearly ahead of his time. The statue is made of bronze and over the years has acquired a dark green coat. The big toe is still polished because tradition says it is good luck to touch the toe.
That polished toe. Yes I did give it a little rub.
Looking up at the Grgur Ninski statue from the Golden Gate.
The Golden Gate. Not very golden I know but you get the point. This is part of the best preserved defense wall of the entire palace.
Just inside the Golden Gate you'll find these steps leading up St. Martin Church. I was disappointed to find it closed after several attempts to visit because I'm told the 6th century interior is exceptionally preserved. I guess I'll check it out another time.
Looking down those steps. The city is full of little staircases leading to different shops and churches and everything. Such an interesting little city.
I took a little break at this point to check out the Muzej Grada Splita...you knew I wasn't getting through the day with out one museum visit. It of course housed all kinds of items from over the years in Split. Not a lot of English in the museum but you get the idea.
Housed in an old section of the Palace. Love the old architecture.
One of the items you can find in the museum. Not sure what this was a part of but it looks a little interesting to me.
An old movie projector.
I do believe these came off a boat....or more correctly a ship.
Looks like a Royal Carriage. I'm sure it carried someone important.
A view from the upper floor window of the museum.
Back out in Fruit Square next to my hotel. This is the statue of Marko Marulic who is often called the father of Croatian literature because he wrote the first book in the Croatian language.
Eventually I was done with my touring (oh and I took some time to relax on a street side cafe with some wine) and as the sun was getting ready to set it was about time to head out and see what the evening would bring. Yes it is Thursday night but Friday is a holiday in Croatia (as is Monday) so I expected a few things going one with it being a long weekend. I was in luck.
Looking down the Riva, the main Promenade in Split. You will find many cafes and ice cream shops and little stores along here. In the evenings it is also full of street entertainers.
I just love these pretty flowers. You find them all over the place in Split.
A look at one of the original outer walls.
Back in Republic Square there was clearly something about to go on. Turns out it was a one night only blues festival. So I stayed and watched a while. It was really excellent.
One of the bands that played. They sang in both English and Croatian.
They were really good as were all the other bands.
The night ended up lasting a lot longer than I expected. The headline act went on at about 1130......but bands continued to play until 2am......when I finally left. Not sure how much longer the show went on but there didn't seem to be any sign of the party slowing down. I would have stayed longer but I had an early day planned and a long drive.
Friday I would continue to make my way South to Dubrovnik.
Julie
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