Franjo Tuđman Square

The Franjo Tuđman Square

The Split audio-guided tour presents you with the Franjo Tuđman Square, a green space that connects the Prokurative to the Riva and bears the name of the first president of independent Croatia.

Seventeen hundred years of history

Laid out as a small flowered green space, the square bears the name of Franjo Tuđman, the first president of independent Croatia, elected in 1990 after decades of Yugoslavia. This independence crowns a history seventeen hundred years long, begun in the year 295 of our era, when the Roman emperor Diocletian had his retirement palace built here. In the seventh century, fleeing the invasions, the inhabitants of the neighbouring city of Salona took refuge within the walls of the palace: the city of Split was born, built within the Roman walls. A free city in the Middle Ages, it passed under Venetian domination from 1420 to 1797, then joined the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before joining Yugoslavia in 1918.

What there is to see

The Franjo Tuđman Square offers a pleasant green break between the Prokurative and the Riva, while evoking the thousand-year-old history of Split, from the palace of Diocletian to Croatian independence. It is a peaceful and instructive stage, which sums up the singular destiny of this city born within the walls of a Roman palace.

Practical information

The Franjo Tuđman Square is between the Prokurative and the Riva, in Split. A tree-lined public space, it can be walked freely at all hours and on the level.

Who was Franjo Tuđman?

The first president of independent Croatia, elected in 1990 after decades under Yugoslavia.

How was the city of Split born?

In the seventh century, when the inhabitants of Salona took refuge within the walls of the palace of Diocletian, building the city within the Roman walls.