Split is a very old place: Most historians say that its age is about 1700 years, but in fact it may be much older - having been founded as a Greek colony. Later it was turned into a Roman settlement - the walls of the palace inhabited by Roman emperors still form the heart of the city center until this very day. Surrounding them, there is the beautiful old town, which in a way looks very Italian, but with a distinctive Croatian note. The most famous symbol of the city is the Riva, a promenade just by the natural port. Of course, Split is a UNESCO world heritage site, as this is clearly a place humanity needs to protect - it is endowed with monuments from virtually all historic periods known to man.

During the communist time, Split was an industrial center, but now the city's economy is mostly focused on trade and services. This development certainly has the benefit that factories clearly seem out of place in so idyllic a place, so shutting them down seems in some way reasonable. The downside, however, was that this led to high unemployment in the early nineties. Fortunately, it is now observed that the economic free market reforms installed by the Croatian government have succeeded in attracting commerce, many of which international, to the city. However, it can definitely be stated that Split has not yet fulfilled its true potential - and investment is still ongoing.

Perhaps it is surprising to say that close to this ancient city there is countryside that could be described as not very highly developed.

Split is also a cultural hub - especially its summer festivals are worth mentioning, among them the Split Musical Festival and the Split Summer theater festival - which not surprisingly attract performers of world renown. Also Split's eating culture is enough of a reason for a visit - and be prepared for a lot of fish and sea food. Split's chefs are famous for their multitude of recipes.