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Sculpture of an eagle on Split Archaeological museum, Croatia. Picture By Bernard Gagnon

Top 10 Sensational Facts about  Archaeological Museum in Split

The Archaeological Museum in Split is Croatia’s oldest museum, founded in 1820 as a result of the visit of Habsburg emperor Francis I to Dalmatia.

It was part of a larger effort by the Habsburg rulers to establish new institutions in the newly acquired province of Dalmatia in the aftermath of Napoleon’s defeat.

The museum’s original mission was to care for the monuments of ancient Salona and Diocletian’s palace in Split, as well as to provide the institutional framework needed for their preservation. 

After being delayed by the outbreak of World War I, the museum relocated to its current location in 1922, a fine example of late historicist architecture with a hint of Viennese Secession. The Museum contains some sensational facts, which are discussed in this article.

1. The museum holds an exhibition hall and a library

Exhibition Hall of the Split archaeological museum. By Carole Raddato.

The museum is located at Zrinsko-Frankopanska 25 in Split. There is also a branch in Solin (Salona and Tusculum) and two regional centers in Vid near Metkovi (Narona Collection) and on Vis.

The museum complex consists of a two-story main building with exhibition halls and the museum library on the ground floor, as well as study rooms, a row of arcades surrounding the main building (for the lapidarium), and an attached garden.

2. The Museum was founded in 1820 by the  decree of the Dalmatian government

Dominik Papalic, a Split humanist, gathered in his home at the beginning of the 16th century a collection of ancient writing and picture tablets discovered in the ruins of ancient Solin by him and poet Marko Maruli (Salona). In 1750, Pope Pius II established a museum.

Following Emperor Francis I’s visit to Dalmatia in 1818, the Dalmatian government in Zadar established the Split Archaeological Museum in 1820 by decree.

The original museum building was constructed in 1821 next to the eastern walls of Diocletian’s Palace, but it quickly became too small to house the growing number of artifacts.

3. Frane Bulic was the Museum Director for more than fifty years

Frane Bulic. Picture courtesy of public domain.

Beginning in 1884, Frane Bulic, a Catholic priest, archaeologist, and historical researcher, was the museum’s director for over fifty years.

He founded the first Croatian archaeological society in 1894 and oversaw the construction of the second museum building from 1912 to 1914. Viennese architects August Kirstein and Friedrich Ohmann designed the new structure in the neo-Romanesque style.

The new museum building was not open to the public until early 1922.

4. The exhibits are mainly based on Split and Salona finds

Portrait of Sarona findings. Picture By Georg Kowalczyk

A central part of the museum is a collection of stone inscriptions from Salona and Graeco-Hellenistic ceramic objects, Roman glass, ancient clay lamps, bone and metal articles, gems, medieval coins, and an underwater archaeological collection.

In Salona, Issa, and Narona, the museum conducts archaeological research. The museum also has collections in Vid, near Metkovi, and on Vis Island.

The Museum published the first archaeological journal, Bullettino di archeologia e Storia Dalmata, in 1878. ( Journal of Dalmatian Archeology and History )

5. It is one of the oldest archaeological museums in eastern Europe

Split Archaeological Museum, the oldest museum in Europe, By Carole Raddato.

Actually, the museum is one of the oldest archaeological museums in eastern Europe, dating back to the beginning of the 19^th century.

The museum is mainly based on funds from Split and Salona, but in total, more than 50 archaeological finding areas have supplied the museum with valuable objects.

The first thing which surprised us about the museum was the beautiful building, we actually passed by hundreds of times by car, not noticing it because of the large trees along the outside wall.

But when you first get inside there is a beautiful garden. Along the surrounding wall, you find an exhibition of large findings mainly from Diocletian’s Palace and the old roman city of Salona.

6. The Museum is a tourist attraction site

Today, the museum takes pride in preserving approximately 150,000 archeological monuments and artifacts. We have included a good number of them here in a permanent posting.

The Archaeological Museum in Split houses a valuable collection of archaeological objects dating back to prehistory, Greek colonization of the Adriatic, Roman, early Christian, and early Middle Ages. It is unquestionably a worthwhile destination to visit.

The Spaniards enjoy and pay close attention to their history, but this institution attracts a large number of visitors from outside each year. This museum has become a tourist attraction in addition to serving the preservation of historical truth and presenting the development of the city. They study exhibits and learn about Split’s history.

7. The museum kept a large collection of Latin inscriptions

The next important date associated with the development of museum activity was the founding of the Archbishopric Museum in Split in 1750. This museum kept a large collection of Latin inscriptions predominantly from the ancient Salona.

The Archaeological Museum in Split was founded in 1820 by the decree of the Dalmatian government in Zadar. The inspiration for its foundation was the arrival of Emperor Francis I to Dalmatia in 1818, when he visited Split and the solemn monuments.

The first building of the museum was erected in 1821 and it was located near the eastern walls of Diocletian’s Palace, but soon became overwhelmed by the increasing number of monuments. The museum later moved to the building that still stands today.

8. The museum is carrying out regular archaeological research on Salona 

On Salona and Issa, the museum is conducting traditional archaeological research. By 2004, research was being conducted in Narona (Vid near Metkovi).

The museum has a Tusculum regional building at Monastery in Solin and an Issa archaeological collection in the Our Lady of the Batavia building in Vis.

The collection of stone inscriptions from Salona (approximately 6,000 copies), Greek Hellenic ceramics, Roman glass, ancient clay lamps (approximately 1600), bone, metal objects, and a gem collection are all noteworthy (the largest in the country).

The museum has a significant library and archive fund, as well as a large collection of antique and medieval money (over 70,000 pieces). On December 18, 2000, the new permanent exhibition in the renovated Museum opened.

9. The Museum is in a large Courtyard

A large courtyard of the museum. Picture By TimeTravelRome.

The museum’s large courtyard, with a meticulous garden, is home to its lapidarium. It has a collection of stone sculptures, funerary art, and architectonical fragments.

The tranquil ambiance of the courtyard mixed with the exquisiteness of the displayed objects is set to astound even the most disinterested of visitors.

Though the interpretative framework associated with the artifacts is very basic and rather insufficient, the lapidarium and its secluded surroundings give away an authentic breath of the intellectual aspect of the ‘Old’, pre-World War Europe.

10. The building has an exhibition hall for small artifacts

The museum’s main building houses the grand exhibition hall reserved for smaller artifacts exhibited in glass display cases. They include a large variety of materials, following a chronological trail of a whole succession of cultures thriving in Dalmatia from prehistory up to the early medieval period.

Working Hours Monday – Saturday: 09:00 – 14:00 16:00 – 20:00 Closed on Sundays.

Entrance fees Adults: 40,00 kn Children, pupils, students, persons with disability: 20,00 kn