About Croatia and Split

Croatia has always been a country of exciting intertwinement of central European and Mediterranean cultural circles. It borders Slovenia and Hungary to the north, Serbia to the east, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the southeast. The country also has a long maritime border with Italy in the Adriatic Sea. According to UNESCO, it is the country with the greatest number of protected cultural phenomena in Europe.

This is thanks to its natural geographical diversity, as well as its specific historical uniqueness, both of which greatly impact the development of tourism and social and cultural life. A warm sea, deeply drawn into the European continent, Mediterranean climate, modern motorways, and a favourable geo-transit position are only some of the reasons why many foreign tourists and world-renowned tourism magazine publishers consider Croatia the most desirable tourist destination.

In all of that beauty, the story of Split is already 17 centuries old, dating to the time the Roman Emperor Diocletian decided to build his Palace to spend the last years of life. During these 1,700 years, the Palace slowly turned into a city, which to this day lures with its rich tradition, glorious history, natural beauty, and cultural heritage. Split is Croatia’s great historical, administrative, economic, cultural, educational, tourist, and sports centre. It is the largest city in Dalmatia, the second largest city and a port in Croatia as well as the third port on the Mediterranean.

You’ll find excellent gourmet and wine experiences here, numerous cultural happenings exhibitions, concerts, theatres, and loads of clubs and bars. The vegetable market and the fish market represent the centre of each family’s life in Split, just as the entire social life of this city reflects on the Riva (waterfront). Did you know locals call Split “the most sporty city in the World”? The sports results of its inhabitants are something only a handful of cities of similar size around the world can boast about.

Split is the home to more than 100 Olympic medalists, 73 of which are displayed at a 250-meter-long promenade in the city center. Those successes, with many more achieved on various sports fields, had put the urge to display them, which is why Split hosts its Sports museum, along with Split’s Sports Hall of Fame. The biggest and most loved club in our city is the Football club Hajduk Split, but we’re proud to also have a basketball club that FIBA declared as the best team of the 20th century, while many athletes, such as Hall of Famers Toni Kukoč or Dino Rađa and Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanišević made their first sports steps in Split.