Venetian Castle, Split, Croatia

The Venetian Castle was built during the 15th century in Split. Built just south-west of the Diocletian's Palace along the shoreline, the castle had an irregular pentagonal shape with three towers facing north and overlooking the city. The decision to build the castle was made in 1424, however, it wasn't until 1441 that it was actually built on the grounds of a demolished monastery. By the early 16th century, the castle was in poor condition and it wasn't until the first half of the 17th century that work on improving it began.

By the early 19th century, the castle had lost its defensive purpose and the southern walls were demolished between 1806 and 1807 on the orders of Auguste de Marmont during the Napoleonic Wars. Presently, what remains of the castle is the large central tower and the smaller eastern tower with the wall connecting them, both located on the Radić Brothers Square (Trg braće Radić).

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User Reviews

J-Kube (6 months ago)
Very nice castle. Amazing architecture. And history.

Route Dalmatia (10 months ago)
The Venetian Tower is located on Fruit Square next to the gates that lead to the main city promenade. On the other side of the gates, there is another, smaller tower. It is an example of one of the five towers built in the 15th century in that location during Venetian rule, which protected the fortress where the Venetian garrison was stationed and which had a defensive purpose. The towers and the fortress were demolished during the French administration as part of the expansion project of the main promenade. Since the late 15th century, the tower has served as a prison. Preserved is the largest octagonal tower, 24 meters high, and inside it, there are four floors. The tower completely dominates the square with its impressive structure.

Sharky Hussain (2 years ago)
Really nice place to visit. Roman history all around.

Robert Chomicz (2 years ago)
This tower is what is left of the 15th century Venetian castle that used to stand where the square is now. The tower is austere and impressive, due to its size more than anything else. I did not see any entry so it may not be open to visitors.

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