Spalatum

Split Grad Split
City
City of Split
Top: Nighttime view of Split from Mosor; 2nd row: Cathedral of Saint Domnius; City center of Split; 3rd row: View of the city from Marjan; Night in Poljicka Street; Bottom: Riva waterfront
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Velo misto (Croatian: (the) Big town/city
Anthem: Marjane, Marjane
Split Location of Split in Croatia
Coordinates: 43°30′36″N 16°27′00″E / 43.51000°N 16.45000°E / 43.51000; 16.45000Coordinates: 43°30′36″N 16°27′00″E / 43.51000°N 16.45000°E / 43.51000; 16.45000
Country	Croatia
County	Split-Dalmatia
Greek colony of Aspálathos established	3rd or 2nd century BCE
Diocletian's Palace built	305 CE
Diocletian's Palace settled	639 CE
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Mayor	Branka Ramljak (Acting)
• City Council	35 members • HDZ, HSS, HSLS (11) • HGS (8) • Pametno (7) • MOST (5) • SDP, HNS (4)
Area
• City	79.38 km2 (30.65 sq mi)
• City proper	22.12 km2 (8.54 sq mi)
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2011)
• City	178,102
• Density	2,244/km2 (5,810/sq mi)
• Metro	346,314
• City proper	167,121
• City proper density	7,499/km2 (19,420/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	HR-21000
Area code	21
Vehicle registration	ST
Patron saint	Saint Domnius
Website	www.split.hr

Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian
Split

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia
Area	79,380,000 m2 (854,400,000 sq ft)
Criteria	ii, iii, iv
Reference	97
Coordinates	43°31′N 16°27′E / 43.51°N 16.45°E / 43.51; 16.45
Inscription	1979 (3rd Session)
Website	www.split.hr
Location of Split, Croatia
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Split (Croatian pronunciation: [splît]; see other names) is the second-largest city of Croatia and the largest city of the region of Dalmatia. It lies on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea and is spread over a central peninsula and its surroundings. An intraregional transport hub and popular tourist destination, the city is linked to the Adriatic islands and the Apennine peninsula.

Home to Diocletian's Palace, built for the Roman emperor in 305 CE, the city was founded as the Greek colony of Aspálathos (Aσπάλαθος) in the 3rd or 2nd century BC. It became a prominent settlement around 650 CE when it succeeded the ancient capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, Salona. After the Sack of Salona by the Avars and Slavs, the fortified Palace of Diocletian was settled by the Roman refugees. Split became a Byzantine city, to later gradually drift into the sphere of the Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Croatia, with the Byzantines retaining nominal suzerainty. For much of the High and Late Middle Ages, Split enjoyed autonomy as a free city, caught in the middle of a struggle between Venice and the King of Hungary for control over the Dalmatian cities.

Venice eventually prevailed and during the early modern period Split remained a Venetian city, a heavily fortified outpost surrounded by Ottoman territory. Its hinterland was won from the Ottomans in the Morean War of 1699, and in 1797, as Venice fell to Napoleon, the Treaty of Campo Formio rendered the city to the Habsburg Monarchy. In 1805, the Peace of Pressburg added it to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and in 1806 it was included in the French Empire, becoming part of the Illyrian Provinces in 1809. After being occupied in 1813, it was eventually granted to the Austrian Empire following the Congress of Vienna, where the city remained a part of the Austrian Kingdom of Dalmatia until the fall of Austria-Hungary in 1918 and the formation of Yugoslavia. In World War II, the city was annexed by Italy, then liberated by the Partisans after the Italian capitulation in 1943. It was then re-occupied by Germany, which granted it to its puppet Independent State of Croatia. The city was liberated again by the Partisans in 1944, and was included in the post-war Federal Yugoslavia, as part of its republic of Croatia. In 1991, Croatia seceded from Yugoslavia amid the Croatian War of Independence.