Split

A town with a port on a peninsula between the Kastela Bay and the Split Channel. It is the economic, transit, cultural, health and educational centre of Dalmatia and the seat of the Split-Dalmatia county. With almost 200,000 inhabitants, it is the largest town on the Croatian part of the Adriatic. A railway and roads connect it with settlements on the coast and in the interior, and an airport connects it to international air traffic. Ferry lines include the Split-Ancona and Rijeka-Zadar-Split-Stari Grad-Korcula-Sobra-Dubrovnik-Bari ternational lines, and the Split-Rogac (Solta), Split-Supetar Irac), Split-Vis, Split-Stari Grad (Hvar) and Split-Hvar-Vela Luka ;Korcula)-Ubli (Lastovo) local lines. The port for passenger and dry traffic lies in Gradska Luka (Town Port) which also has a harbormaster's office, an international maritime border cross-g and a customs house.

There are several hotels in this vibrant tourist town, and several beaches and five marinas on the coast, Split has a remarkable number of cultural monuments, and its tractions include the archaeological, ethnographic, naval and natural history museums, the Mestrovic Gallery and the national Theatre. The Marjan elevation (175 m) on the western art of the peninsula, with the most beautiful park in Split and a zoo, affords the most spectacular view of Split and its environs, well as the nearby islands.

Split's predecessor was the settlement of Aspalathos, which as built in a well-protected bay by Greek merchants. Large buildings were supposedly built in the second and third decades and Latin sources mention the name Spalatum. The majestic palace which was built around 300 A.D. by the Roman emperor Diocletian has dominated Split ever since. The original town core, clustered within the rectangular space of the magnificent palace, is clearly discernable on the plans and air pho-graphs of Split. The wall surrounding the palace has been completely preserved. During the development of medieval Split, Diocletian's Palace slowly began to fall into ruin. When the neighboring settlement of Salona was destroyed at the beginning of the 7th century, some of its inhabitants took refuge in the scaling palace. The newcomers did not preserve its magnificent appearance and the ancient building slowly began to change.

The decline of Salona marks the beginning of medieval Split, which developed both within and beyond the Roman wall, important monuments within Diocletian's Palace include the church of sv. Duje (St. Domnius) which was once a mausoleum, the baptistery (once the temple of Jupiter), the epistyle, the 5Stibule, cellars beneath the palace, four palace gates, the gothic Papalic Palace (now the Town Museum) and several others. The most important monuments outside the palace include the former town hall, the Monastery and Church of sv. Frane (St. Francis), the Old Croatian Church of sv. Nikola (St. Nicholas) and numerous others. The old town and the emperor's palace are included in the UNESCO List of World Cultural Heritage.

Although it is possible to berth at the Sv. Nikola pier in the northeastern part of Gradska Luka, the frequent passenger and ferry traffic makes it more desirable to berth in the marina which is located in the western part of the port. On the northern part of the peninsula lies the Lucica PSD Spinut harbor, where boats can occasionally find a space to berth, and on the southwestern part lies the Lucica PSD Zenta harbor, where space is hard to find. The sea becomes choppy when the bora or the jugo blows.

ACI SPLIT MARINA (021) 398 599 - It lies in the southwestern part of Gradska Luka. There are 360 berths, 120 spaces for dry storage, a 10-ton lift, a repair shop and a launch ramp. The depth of the sea is 10 m.

LUCICA PSD ZENTA (021) 365 764 - It consists of an old and a new part. There are around 170 berths in the old and 710 berths in the new part, as well as 100 spaces for dry storage. A breakwater protects it from southerly winds. The depth of the sea is 14 m. Facilities include a 10-ton lift and a repair shop.

LUCICA PSD SPINUT (021) 386 813 - From the northern and western sides it is protected by a 500-m-long breakwater. There are 780 berths at the piers and the quay, 250 spaces for dry storage, a 15-ton lift and a repair shop. The depth of the sea is 4 m. There are 400 berths, 90 spaces for dry storage, a repair shop, a 10-ton lift and a launch ramp. The sea is 7 m deep.