Split
- See stock split for the investing term.
Split (Italian: Spalato) is the largest and most important city in Dalmatia, center of the Split-Dalmatia county. It is situated on a promontory on the east side of the Adriatic Sea. With a population of 188,694 (2001) it is the second largest city in Croatia.
Split lives on its tourism, further on fishing, wine and its paper, concrete, olive and chemical industries. It is also an important traffic point for Dalmatia: most of the middle Dalmatian islands are not reachable except through Split's harbour (usually with the Jadrolinija ferries). This includes both the closer islands of Brač, Hvar and Šolta, but also Vis and Lastovo which are more distant. The Split airport in Divulje is often the first stop for most of the tourists to this region.
Split is known for Diocletian's Palace and its Cathedral with the famous bell tower. Up to this day Split is the seat of an archbishop. Despite the existence of the ancient Salona (today's Solin) just north of today's Split, the construction of the palace marks the beginning of the city. Roman Emperor Diocletian who ruled between 284 and 305 ordered it built around the year 300. The palace faced the sea, looking south; its walls were from 570 to 700 feet long and 50 to 70 feet high, and inclosed an area of 9½ acres. It stood square, like a Roman camp, and had a gate in the middle of each side, and was of the most solid construction.
The giant building was long deserted when the first citizens of Split settled inside its walls. In 639 the interior was converted into a town by the citizens of Salona who escaped the destruction of their town by the Avars. Even today the palace constitutes the inner city of Split, full of shops, markets, places, inserted on the corridors and floors of the former palace, and the Christian cathedral that was a mausoleum in Diocletian's day.
After that, Split belonged a long time to Venice (in the 14th century and then from 1420 on), until it fell to Austria-Hungary in 1797. (An often understated fact is that the Croatian people, within the kingdoms of Hungary and Austria-Hungary, had their own administrative regions, leaders, and representation in the parliaments of Budapest and Vienna.)
The province Dalmatia was later joined with Croatia and Split remained in Croatia (at times as Yugoslavia) until the present day. During the Second World War, part of the port facilities were bombed.
Split is sometimes credited as Dalmatia's capital, but there's no such governmental unit as Dalmatia today, and the traditional capital is actually the city of Zadar.
Sport
Split's most famous resident is former tennis star Goran Ivanišević. Also from Split is rising tennis star, "Little Goran", Mario Ančić. The local football team is Hajduk Split. Basketball is also popular, with notable players such as Toni Kukoč. Split was the see of the Mediterranean Games in 1979.
Picigin is a local sport found on several of the city beaches (Bačvice etc). It is played on shallow water with a small ball.
External link
- Official Split web page (http://www.split.hr/)
- Unnoficial City of Split web page (http://www.split.info)
- Diocletian palace - in English (http://www.st.carnet.hr/split/diokl.html)
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