The Port of Split and the Historical Core of the City in Images up to the Middle of the 19th Century from the Croatian Maritime Museum Split and the Archaeological Museum in Split

The Port of Split and the Historical Core of the City in Images up to the Middle of the 19th Century from the Croatian Maritime Museum Split and the Archaeological Museum in Split

Exhibition

In 2019, an exhibition on the port of Split and the historic core of the city was held in Split. The exhibition presented plans, drawings and panoramas that are kept in the Croatian Maritime Museum in Split and the Archaeological Museum in Split. The authors of the exhibition and the catalogue were Danka Radić and Arsen Duplančić. The exhibition was set up on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the inscription of the historic centre of Split with Diocletian's Palace on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The catalogue of the exhibition of the same name was printed in the Croatian language in 2019 in Split, with ISBN 978-953-7742-17-1, and can be purchased at the Croatian Maritime Museum in Split. The catalogue is laid out in A4 format, has 108 pages, and is divided into these basic chapters:

Preface, Diocletian's Palace and the Port of Split in travelogues and illustrations until the middle of the 19th century, Overview of some images of Split and its ports and the Catalogue.

The accompanying texts written by authors D. Radić and A. Duplančić contain illustrations and extensive lists of literature used. The catalogue of maps, panoramas and plans contains 63 illustrations, exhibits from the exhibition. The prints on paper are very good, clear and legible.

From the Preface we learn that the “Roman emperor of Illyrian origin, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletian, built at the beginning of the 4th century a magnificent palace in the bay of Aspalathos, not far from Salona, the capital of the province of Dalmatia. He wanted to spend the rest of his life in it after his abdication. The palace is the best preserved imperial residence and a significant monument of late antique architecture on a global scale. The outer walls are relatively well preserved, reinforced with towers that surround an almost square outline. In the southern part of the palace were the royal chambers facing the sea. To the north is the Peristyle, an open access hall with a prothrone, Diocletian's mausoleum − a large octagonal building later converted into a cathedral, then the Temple of Jupiter and the remains of the baths. In the middle and northern part of the palace are the remains of the original streets that divided the residential blocks for service and military crew. Continuity of population, i.e. the transformation of the imperial residence into an early medieval city, which still lives to this day as the historical core of modern Split, gives the palace an exceptional monumental and urban value. … The structure and position of the city − Palace, good connection with the sea, with the Mediterranean, and roads with the hinterland were the main conditions for the development of the ancient city into a medieval city that eventually grew into a modern Mediterranean port city. Today, Split is the second largest city in Croatia. It is located on the coast of central Dalmatia, and its historic port is the most representative passenger port, the third largest in the Mediterranean.”

Given the above, it is clear that Split with Diocletian's Palace is not only a very valuable cultural and historical monument, but also the central site in Dalmatia, which has been developing for centuries. Therefore, the authors of the exhibition and catalogue, Danka Radić and Arsen Duplančić, should be commended and thanked for their great efforts. We hope for more such ventures that raise awareness of the need to preserve cultural heritage and identity.

Splitska luka i povijesna jezgra grada na prikazima do polovice XIX. stoljeća iz Hrvatskog pomorskog muzeja Split i Arheološkog muzeja u Splitu

Izložba

U Splitu je 2019. godine održana izložba o splitskoj luci i povijesnoj jezgri grada. Na izložbi su prikazani planovi, crteži i vedute koje se čuvaju u Hrvatskom pomorskom muzeju u Spltu i Arheološkom muzeju u Splitu. Autori izložbe i kataloga bili su Danka Radić i Arsen Duplančić. Izložba je postavljena u povodu 40. obljetnice upisa povijesne jezgre Splita s Dioklecijanovom palačom na popis svjetske kulturne baštine UNESCO-a.

Katalog istoimene izložbe na hrvatskom jeziku tiskan je 2019. godine u Splitu, nosi oznaku ISBN 978-953-7742-17-1, i može se kupiti u Hrvatskom pomorskom muzeju u Splitu. Katalog je položenog formata A4, sadrži 108 stranica, a podijeljen je na ova osnovna poglavlja:

Predgovor, Dioklecijanova palača i splitska luka u putopisima i likovnim prikazima do sredine XIX. stoljeća, Osvrt na neke prikaze Splita i njegove luke te Katalog. Prateći tekstovi koje su napisali autori D. Radić i A. Duplančić sadrže ilustracije i opsežne popise upotrijebljene literature. Katalog karata, veduta i planova sadrži 63 ilustracije, eksponata s izložbe. Otisci na papiru su vrlo dobri, jasni i čitljivi.

Iz Predgovora saznajemo da je „rimski car ilirskog podrijetla Gaj Aurelije Valerije Dioklecijan sagradio je početkom IV. stoljeća veličanstvenu palaču u uvali Aspalathos, nedaleko od Salone, glavnoga grada provincije Dalmacije. Želio je nakon abdikacije s prijestolja u njoj provesti ostatak života. Palača je najbolje sačuvana carska rezidencija i značajan spomenik kasnoantičkoga graditeljstva u svjetskim razmjerima. Relativno su dobro sačuvani vanjski zidovi ojačani kulama koji opasuju gotovo kvadratičan docrt. U južnom dijelu pa1ače nalazile su se carske odaje okrenute moru. Sjevernije je Peristil, otvorena pristupna dvorana s protironom, Dioklecijanov mauzolej - velika oktogonalna građevina kasnije pretvorena u katedra1u, zatim Jupiterov hram i ostatci termi. U srednjem i sjevernom dijelu palače su ostatci izvornih ulica koje su dijelile stambene blokove za poslugu i vojnu posadu. Kontinuiranost naseljenosti, odnosno transformacija carske rezidencije u rano-srednjovjekovni grad, koji kao povijesna jezgra suvremenog Splita živi i danas, daje palači izuzetnu spomeničku i urbanističku vrijednost. … Struktura i položaj grada - Palače, dobra povezanost s morem, sa Sredozemljem, i cestama sa zaleđem bili su glavni uvjeti razvitka antičkoga grada u srednjovjekovni grad koji je s vremenom izrastao u moderan lučki grad Mediterana. Danas je Split drugi po veličini grad u Hrvatskoj. Smješten je na obali središnje Dalmacije, a njegova povijesna luka je najreprezentativnija putnička luka, treća po veličini na Mediteranu.“

S obzirom na navedeno, jasno je da je Split s Dioklecijanovom palačom ne samo vrlo vrijedan kulturno-historijski spomenik, već i središnje mjesto Dalmacije koje se razvija stoljećima. Stoga treba pohvaliti autore izložbe i kataloga, Danku Radić i Arsena Duplančića, zahvaliti im na velikom uloženom trudu i zaželjiti još takvih pothvata kojima se osvještava potreba očuvanja kulturnog nasljeđa i identiteta.