Trogir
The Historic City of Trogir shows a medieval townscape on classical foundations that has survived almost intact into the 21st century.
Trogir was founded by Greek colonists in the 3rd century BCE on a little island. It flourished under the Romans and expanded its power significantly under Venetian rule (13th to 15th centuries). It has well-preserved its medieval urban fabric.
Community Perspective: “It's a charming complex of lanes and streets and a great place to wander.”, but it does not add much to the previous inscriptions of Dubrovnik and Split.
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Elis
After spending most of the day exploring Split and Šibenik, I ended my coastal day trip in Trogir, and I'm so glad I did. While the other sites were impressive, Trogir turned out to be the highlight of my day. A couple of hours is really all you need here to soak in the atmosphere and explore the compact historic centre.
Like many coastal towns I visited in this region of Croatia, Trogir feels distinctly Italian in character, which isn't surprising given the Venetian influence. The well-preserved medieval core is so pictureesque, especially in the evening hours when I visited, which user Bojana rightly recommends. The main square, centred around the iconic clock tower, has a really laid-back energy that reminded me of places like Guimarães in Portugal, with locals and tourists alike gathering at cafes and restaurants. These smaller, gentler historic towns and their main squares have such a calm, social vibe.
One thing that struck me was all the little boats dotted around the harbour, which make for great photo opportunities. There are a few tourists and it's clearly a popular stop for cruise ships as other reviews have mentioned, but it didn't feel overwhelmingly crowded during my evening visit. Maybe that's because I went in October though.
The absolute highlight of my visit was catching the sunset. There's something amazing about taking an evening stroll along the waterfront as the sun sets behind the walls. While you could probably spend longer here, its compact size makes it perfect for a shorter visit. Definitely recommend timing your visit for the evening hours, it really shines during that time!
Ilya Burlak
The historic center of Trogir sits on a tiny island – roughly 500 meters long and 250 meters wide – which can be fairly closely explored in the matter of a couple of hours. The town is visually appealing and picturesque but for me falls short in the Wow! department.
The main points of interest are the cluster of buildings around the main public square; the Riva waterfront with Kamerlengo fort at one end; and a number of churches and palaces. Somewhat strangely for my usual expectations, all churches in the center (except the cathedral) appeared not open to visitors in midday in early July; I did not have any plans to see palaces' interiors (and never researched if that is even possible). So, my visit largely consisted of walking around and admiring exteriors. That is not easy to accomplish in many instances, since the limited space of the island means the inner streets are all very narrow and wide perspectives are possible only on the edges of town and the aforementioned main public square, which is technically two squares, Radovanov Trg and Trg Ivana Pavla II.
Saint Lawrence Cathedral opens up on both of those. Climbing its tower is fairly worthwhile, but the most outstanding feature of the church might be its main portal, which can be seen without paying an entrance fee. The ticket covers the tower, the baptistery and the cathedral interior; as with any main church in a historic town it is not without nice features.
Also on the combined two-squares place are a few other highlights. The 15th-century town clock tower is technically part of the church of Saint Sebastian. The 13th-century town Loggia was the central public space of the city life for centuries, at some point rededicated as a Venetian monument, extensively renovated in the late 19th century, and adorned with the equestrian relief of a 16th-century viceroy of Croatia as recently as 1930’s. Cipiko Palace, facing the cathedral, is made up of several buildings that have over time become a connected single structure; the section obvious in its Venetian heritage is the one catching the eye.
Trogir can be reached in less than half an hour by car from central Split. Two to three hours appears enough time to explore the town core in reasonable depth.
Read more from Ilya Burlak here.
Clyde
I visited Trogir twice in April 2014. It has many Venetian buildings and unless you go for a stroll in the yacht marina in Ciovo you won't notice that it's an island! The main square has a splendid clock tower, a lovely town hall and a big cathedral with a beautifully carved entrance. Climbing the belfry is not something I'd recommend to those who are afraid of heights although the panoramic view from the top is worth the effort. The highlight of my trip was definitely the view from the Riva waterfront with the Kamerlengo Fortress which clearly exposes the several church steeples and towers present in such a small town. The only negative comment I have for such a quaint town would be to remove the ugly neon lights on the city entrances flashing UNESCO at night! It was a major minus point to me!
Bojana Bartol
A city to see for those who love surprises and unexpected things. The harbor full of old sailing ships is the biggest unexpected surprise. You can visit it in a day but it deserves an overnight stay to enjoy the tranquility that emanates during the evening walk.
Klaus Freisinger
Trogir's historic centre enjoys a very scenic location on a small island between the mainland and the much larger island of Ciovo, and is connected to both by bridges. The historic monuments were all very pretty and interesting, but I really thought the location is Trogir's best asset. The Cathedral of St. Lawrence is the major attraction and features an impressive Romanesque-Gothic facade, but still resembles the cathedrals of Split and Sibenik. The Kamerlengo Fortress is also impressive, but doesn't seem to be open to the public. I also visited a small monastery with an art exposition. Trogir is always crowded with tourists, espcially cruise ship passengers, but also because of its proximity to Split and Split Airport (which is actually much closer to Trogir).
Hubert
The historic town of Trogir is situated on an islet between the mainland and the island of Ciovo. It is about 500 meters long and barely half as wide. But there is everything you would expect from a historic town centre: a cathedral, a fortress, a city gate, city walls, some Romanesque churches, and houses and palaces from all periods: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. It is like an open air museum. The description on the UNESCO website states that Trogir is "an excellent example of a medieval town built" and "a remarkable example of urban continuity." This may be true, but I had rather the impression, that it does not add much to the previous inscriptions of Dubrovnik and Split. Nevertheless, I enjoyed to walk through the labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets and stroll along the promenade, especially in the late evening when there were less tourists.
We took Trogir as our base to visit Sibenik and Split. We stayed at a small hotel on Ciovo, the photo shows the view from Ciovo to the old city of Trogir.
Els Slots
Trogir was my fourth WHS in a row during my short stay in Croatia, and honestly, I didn't find it that special. Maybe some fatigue had crept in. But the Trogir cathedral looks a lot like the one in Sibenik. And those stony, narrow backstreets I also saw in Split and Stari Grad. I even noticed the same black cat in several places, or was I just imagining that?
The tourist hordes were here too. Trogir is close both to Split and to Split (Kastela) airport, making this an easy day trip for everyone. The focal point of attention is the Cathedral and the attached square, at which a number of monumental buildings are located. The Cathedral, like its counterpart Sibenik, has two lions guarding its front gate and similar statues of Adam and Eve. The pillars here are held by human figures that are supposed to represent Turks and Jews.
The ICOMOS evaluation of this site hovers a bit between medieval city or urban continuity. The strongest aftertaste it left me with is 'Venetian / Italian'.
George Vaughan
This is a typical small town of the Croatian coast and islands, easily reached from Split and quite a contrast from it. It's a charming complex of lanes and streets and a great place to wander. Many of the major buildings surround the main square. Although, perhaps, it is the overall impression of the place that strikes the visitor, features like the west door of the cathedral - the remarkable Radovan's Portal - show why this town, rather than some of its neighbours in the region, can claim World Heritage status.
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Site Info
- Full Name
- Historic City of Trogir
- Unesco ID
- 810
- Country
- Croatia
- Inscribed
- 1997
- Type
- Cultural
- Criteria
-
2 4
- Categories
- Urban landscape - Medieval European
- Link
- By ID
Site History
1997 Inscribed
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The site has 11 connections
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