We had a few free days during our HiveFest week, so we decided to explore the area at that time. We saw the Klis Fortress towering high above Split on the way from the airport. I read about it online, but I didn't realize that it was so close by. It's about 13 km from Split, and took us less than 30 minutes to get there from our hotel by car. The fortress is easily accessible from Split, and you can take a bus if you don't have a rental car.
On the way we picked up zirochka with her family, and as we couldn't fit more people in the car we agreed with livinguktaiwan and her husband that they will take a bus and we will meet them there. We arrived before the bus, so we walked to the entrance of the fortress to purchase our tickets and wait for our friends to come. The entrance fee is 3 EUR per person, and unfortunately there is no cafe in the complex, so make sure to bring your own drinks.
The origins of the fortress date back to the 2nd century BC which makes it one of the oldest places that I have ever visited. When I visit a place like this I always imagine people who lived and worked there, those who visited it or those who fought the enemies attacking it. I'm in awe of such constructions as they didn't have modern technology like we do, and still they managed to construct buildings that survived so many centuries. This is why it is so important to preserve our heritage.
On the way to the entrance we enjoyed such magnificent views of Split, Adriatic sea, and surrounding islands. It was so pretty that I wouldn't have minded to wait much longer. It didn't matter in which direction I looked, there was always something stunning to see.
The fortress Klis is located above the village with the same name and fondness of orange roofs.
Here we can see Split and the sea - during our entire trip I didn't manage to go to the beach at all, so we'll have to change it next time.
My husband has already started to make plans for our hiking trips next time...
Another side of the village...
Tickets are ready and the group is complete, so let's go inside!
We had to walk up the hill on the way to the entrance, and it didn't end once we entered the fortress. It's built on several layers, so get ready to walk up a bit more.
I expected that the fortress was ruled by various cultures given its age, but I didn't expect that it's history was so turbulent. It belonged to local tribes, Hungarian empire, Turks, Venetians and Austrians. Surely, I have forgotten a few, but you get the idea. In the 18th century, the fortress was restored, and its current appearance comes mainly from that time. The last hundred years were similar to other fortresses/castles in Europe when they were used for military purposes during the world wars.
Although I didn't find any details about recent renovation works, I assume that the fortress has been renovated because some places look like new. There are 14 stops on the map that you will get at the entrance, but some of them are in ruins, so you have to use your imagination to recreate them in your mind.
I really liked the fortress, but I couldn't get enough of the views. The area looks like a postcard to me.
Some flowers and grasses were growing straight out of the fortification walls which made me realize once again that the nature is much stronger than we usually think.
Take my advice and wear comfortable shoes...
There were a couple of buildings that we could enter to see the expositions. One of them was a collection of armor, and the other one showed some photos.
Other places to see include the remains of towers, barracks, an arms warehouse, powder-chambers, and a church. I hope, I didn't miss any.
When you stand at the foothill you don't realize how big the fortress is, and once you're there you keep walking and walking, and exploring places that you haven't seen before.
Somebody (I think zirochka) noticed this lizard, and we all stared at it for a few moments trying to take the best photo possible. I have never seen a lizard with such color, and I wonder if it can change depending on its surroundings. I think it is used to people as it didn't seem to be scared by such a big group with phones.
I guess that most of you watched the Games of Thrones, right? I didn't but it was mentioned so many times during that week that I might have to watch it one day. The Klis fortress was the setting for the outdoor scenes of Meereen (not that I know what it is). There were some dragons from the movie displayed here.
This is my favorite scene because it shows the beauty of the Adriatic...
This catholic church of St. Vitus was built as one of a few mosques by the Ottomans in Croatia. It was converted to a catholic church when the Ottomans lost Klis to the Venetians. The church is dedicated to St. Vitus who was martyred for his religion by the Roman emperor Diocletian. Let's go inside!
It's a tiny church that feels more like a chapel. There are a few chairs, a small altar and a couple of paintings inside. I wonder how it looked like when it was decorated during the Ottoman times.
There were quite a few people visiting at the same time like us, but because the complex is so big it didn't feel crowded. We could see a few guided tours too. You can book the guided tour in advance, but I think it's not needed as you get the map of the area and you are not depending on others, so can choose you own pace and enjoy. Or you can follow your group leader like I did. I think it was livinguktaiwan's husband who was following the map and we were following him.
From our smiling faces you can see that we enjoyed our trip. If you happen to be around Split I would definitely recommend you to take a few hours and explore the fortress (if not for the fortress then for the views 😊)
I hope that you enjoyed our trip and didn't mind the photo dump. I have tried hard to filter the impressions that I liked the most and I couldn't make myself to remove more photos.
Thank you for reading,
Cheers,
Martina