Historic City of Trogir

Trogir is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 10,818 (2011) and a total municipality population of 13,260 (2011).

The name comes from the Greek “tragos” (male goat).

Similarly, the name of the neighbouring island of Bua comes from the Greek “voua” (herd of cattle).

The sudden prosperity of Salona deprived Trogir of its importance. During the migration of Slavs the citizens of the destroyed Salona escaped to Trogir.

From the 9th century on, Trogir paid tribute to Croatian rulers.

After the War of Chioggia between Genoa and Venice, on the 14th of March 1381 Chioggia concluded an alliance with Zadar and Trogir against Venice, and finally Chioggia became better protected by Venice in 1412, because Šibenik then became the seat of the main customs office and the seat of the salt consumers office with a monopoly on the salt trade in Chioggia and on the whole Adriatic Sea.

Trogir is an excellent example of a medieval town built on and conforming with the layout of a Hellenistic and Roman city that has conserved its urban fabric to an exceptional degree and to the minimum of modern interventions, in which the trajectory of social and cultural development is clearly visible in every aspect of the townscape.

Although it was not made a bishopric in the early Christian period, Trogir was endowed with two large aisled basilicas, sited where the latter-day Cathedral and Benedictine Church of St John the Baptist now stand.

In the second half of the 9th century, Trogir became part of the Byzantine theme of Dalmatia, with its capital at Zadar, and it was occupied by Venice at the end of the 10th century.

Early medieval Trogir expanded to the south and new fortifications were constructed.

At the beginning of the 12th century, Trogir accepted Hungarian rule when the theme of Dalmatia was overrun.

There was a short period of Venetian rule in the early 14th century, but it was not until 1420 that the town became part of the Venetian empire.

Between the 13th and 15th centuries much new building took place, this period seeing the construction of the cathedral and the Camerlengo fortress, a radical remodelling of the main square, and two campaigns of reconstruction and strengthening of the fortifications.

The town flourished in the Roman period as an oppidum civium romanowm, linked with the neighbouring cities of Salona, capital of the Roman province of Dahnatia, and Siculi.

A colony for Roman military veterans during the late Roman period it was extended and refortified.

Extensive Roman cemeteries have been discovered, outside the town, as was customary, and a basilica was erected in one of these in Late Roman times.

In the historical core of Trogir, almost every house has stylistic features, a crest or sign above the door.

Numerous palaces and houses have been preserved, mostly dating back to the 13th century AD, as well as about a dozen churches.

On the south side of the city most of the medieval stone walls and towers have been preserved (the rest of the wall were destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century).

Right next to the south entrance gate to the city, a balcony (loggia) has been preserved, where travellers could take shelter after dark and the city doors had already been closed.

The northern entrance gate into the city is kept by a statue of St. John.