The Best Museums and Galleries to Visit in Split

Even though we travel for different purposes, each trip can enrich our lives. As travelers, we learn about the history, art, culture, and local customs of the places we visit. In this way, we better understand the world we live in and appreciate those who lived before us. We become wiser. Traveling helps us to escape our daily routine and experience a new world. At the Marvie Hotel, we are aware of the role and importance of travel and vacation in contributing to the overall physical and mental health of our guests, so along with the many activities available on the hotel premises we always recommend exploring the city of Split. And what better way there is to learn about its magnificent past, than through its many museums?

Source: Fototeka Galerije Meštrović; Photo author: Zoran Alajbeg

The city of Split reveals rich proof of its turbulent past and culture through its many museums. The town is a real delight for history seekers. The beginnings of museum activity in Split are linked to the Papalić Palace. At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century, this representative Gothic-Renaissance palace, which belonged to the Papalić noble family from Split, housed a collection of ancient stone monuments from Salona. Marko Marulić and Dmine Papalić visited the ruins of Salona, collected and studied the ancient inscriptions that Papalić had installed in the courtyard of his palace. The fragments remained in that place until 1885 when most of them were transferred to the building of the Archaeological Museum near the Silver Gate.

Today, the Papalić Palace is known as Split City Museum. The interior of the palace has been thoroughly restored and adapted to museum settings. The museum demonstrates interesting displays of Diocletian’s Palace and the development of the city. Many other cultural, historical, and artistic materials in chronological order are exhibited, presenting the history of Split and its surroundings from prehistory to the 20th century. The exhibitions also contain a number of specialized collections: numismatic collection, collections of drawings, photographs, graphics, toys, stone monuments, furniture, weapons, sculptures, paintings, old and rare books, arts and crafts, textiles and fashion accessories, decorations, medals and plaques, furniture, ceramics and porcelain, maps, diplomas and blueprints.

Photo: Papalić Palace as Split City Museum

What particularly stands out are the early medieval elements and fragments of architecture, such as the lintel of the ruined church of St. Isidore from the 9th century, the architrave of the altar partition from the 10th century, and a series of Romanesque-Gothic sculptures from the bell tower of Split Cathedral. The museum is “scattered” in 5 locations, and in addition to the main location in the Papalić Palace, it also includes the Emanuel Vidović Gallery, the Southeast Tower, the Venetian Tower, and Diocletian’s Cellars. If you want to get to know the history of Split through time, Split City Museum is definitely the place to visit.

Address: Papalićeva 1, Split

The Archaeological Museum in Split

The Archaeological Museum in Split was founded in 1820 by the decree of the Dalmatian government in Zadar. The impetus for its foundation was the arrival of Emperor Francis I in Dalmatia in 1818, when he visited Split and Salona monuments. Upon his arrival in Split on May 12, the emperor was delighted with the remains of Diocletian’s palace, especially the Peristyle and the mausoleum, as well as with many rare antiquities collected in the old Archbishop’s Palace. The first museum building was built in 1821 next to the eastern walls of Diocletian’s Palace, but it soon became too small for the growing number of monuments.

Photo: Archaeological ruins of Roman buildings in the ancient city of Salona

Today, the museum preserves about 150,000 archaeological monuments and artifacts, some of which are presented through a permanent exhibition. The museum has a valuable collection of archaeological objects from prehistory, from the era of Greek colonization of the Adriatic, the Roman and early Christian periods, and the early Middle Ages. The museum also conducts systematic archaeological research at the sites in Salona (city of Solin) and Issa (Island Vis)

Address: Ul. Zrinsko Frankopanska 25, Split

Ethnographic museum

The ethnographic museum was established on the basis of Split Craft School which was founded in 1906/07 under the directory of Kamilo Tončić, who systematically purchased and gathered ethnographic material. Out of this material, the pupils of the school would create their works, which served as a basis for the ethnographic collection.

Starting from 1909 Tončić exhibited the ethnographic material in final school exhibitions; but later collections also included the products made by local women, as well as the folk costumes collected from all parts of Dalmatia. In 1913 the Ministry in Vienna validated the first Statute of the Museum and positioned Tončić as a director. The museum exhibits extremely valuable ethnographic material that represents the former life of the people of Split, the inhabitants of the Dalmatian islands and the Dalmatian Zagora, divided into several collections – the fine art collection, and collections of jewelry, weapons, and costumes of the Adriatic and Dinaric areas.

Address: Ul. Iza Vestibula 4, 21000, Split

Ivan Meštrović museums – the Meštrović Gallery

The Ivan Meštrović Museums are devoted to the preservation, exploration and promotion of the work and life of Ivan Meštrović (1883 – 1962), one of the most prominent Croatian artists – the famous sculptor, painter, architect and writer. With his Deed of Donation to the Croatian People of 1952, he donated numerous masterpieces, impressive architecture and refined artifacts, which are today managed by the Ivan Meštrović Museums. The constituents of the Museums are located in four locations: his home and studio in Zagreb (The Meštrović Atelier), the family villa (The Meštrović Gallery) and renovated Renaissance Castello (The Meštrović’s Crikvine – Kaštilac) in Split, and the Church in Otavice, which is also the place he was buried.

Photo: Mestrovic Gallery in Split; source: Fototeka Galerije Meštrović; photo author: Zoran Alajbeg

Ivan Meštrović Gallery in Split exhibits the artist’s masterpieces made of marble (Psyche; Contemplation), bronze (Distant Chords; Cyclops; Persephone; Virgin and Child; Job), wood (Grieving Angels and Merry Angels), and plaster (Pietà), all presenting the times of the artist’s prolific creation until 1946. In addition to museum artifacts (sculptures, drawings, paintings, architectural drawings, and furniture), the Gallery also holds documentation referring to the life and work of Ivan Meštrović – photographs of his first works of art taken at the beginning of the century in Vienna and Paris, as well as archive materials such as the family archive found in the house in 1952 that contains letters from family members and friends, their personal documents, etc.

Address: Šetalište Ivana Meštrovića 46, Split

Croatian Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum in Split was founded in 1925. The museum explores, collects, preserves, and presents the tangible and intangible maritime heritage of the Croatian Adriatic coast, from prehistory to the present day. It is located in an extremely valuable building complex – Gripe Fortress, a cultural monument that was built in the 17th century.

In the courtyard of the Fortress, many valuable artifacts of larger sizes are presented. The exterior is dominated by the bow of the steamship “Bakar”, one of the seven vessels from the museum collection. The yacht “Perina”, built in 1857 is one of the oldest vessels on the eastern coast of the Adriatic, and it sailed directly from the sea to the exhibition display of the Croatian Maritime Museum.

In the part of the permanent exhibition dedicated to merchant shipping, the visitors can follow the development of ships – sailing ships, rowing ships, steamships, and motor-driven ships – from ancient to modern times. The museum exhibition ends in the hall dedicated to steamships. In the same hall, there is also an extremely valuable collection of marine engines, in which a special place certainly belongs to the first Croatian marine engine, made in the Split workshop “Rossi” at the beginning of the 20th century.

The First and Second World Wars in the Adriatic are shown with a large number of valuable and rare objects, together with the objects from the naval battle from the Croatian War of Independence in 1991, as part of the Homeland War from 1990 to 1995. The museum also displays the oldest example of a torpedo in the world, dating from the year 1886.

Address: Glagoljaška ul. 18, Split

The Natural History Museum and the ZOO

The Natural History Museum was founded on March 10, 1924, with the purpose to investigate, collect, process, systematize and present the role and development of living and non-living nature, thus popularizing natural history. In addition to protecting and presenting museum materials, this museum also carries out educational activities for preschool children, school pupils, etc.

The Natural History Museum has over 150,000 museum objects distributed in 53 smaller or larger collections. The paleontological-geological and mineralogical-petrographic material shows the geological history of Dalmatia, which we can follow from the Middle Ages, approximately 240 million years ago to the present day.

Photo: The collection at the Natural History Museum

The zoological collections are the most numerous collections of the Natural History Museum, and they display marine and terrestrial invertebrates and marine and terrestrial vertebrates, while botanical collections include collections of algae (algaria) and collections of higher plants (herbaria).

The ZOO is located on Marjan Hill. After a temporary closure, it reopened its doors to visitors in September 2018 and currently is home to 40 traditional breeds of domestic animals.

Address: Poljana kneza Trpimira 3, Split

Diocletian's Dream

Diocletian’s Dream is Croatia’s first virtual reality experience combining modern technology and ancient heritage. Through VR technology, visitors can experience the Diocletian Palace as it once was. Step back in the year 305 AD, and learn about the Split history in a completely different and innovative way. This VR specialty museum tells the Diocletian story from a completely different and exciting perspective. Through a 15-minute animated film, Diocletian’s slave Severin takes you on a tour of the royal chambers and presents many fascinating facts about Diocletian’s life, as one of the Roman Empire’s most powerful emperors.

Address: Zagrebačka ul. 1, Split

Game of Thrones Museum Split

For all the Game of Thrones fans, this is the place to be. Game of Thrones Museum Split gives an opportunity to step inside Meeren and the world of GOT. Filled with breathtaking images and fascinating artifacts from the famous HBO series Game of Thrones, this Museum will transfer fans directly into the story of the Seven Kingdoms where they will have the opportunity to take a look at authentic props, costumes, real size figures, original weapons, city dioramas, sets, etc. Make sure to visit the fan shop with a replica of the Iron Throne and enjoy the rich collection of licensed souvenirs.

Address: Bosanska 9, Split

The Museum of Illusions

This modern, 21st-century concept museum has already conquered many European and world capitals, such as New York, Paris, Dubai, Shanghai, and Kuala Lumpur. It unifies the edutainment concept, meaning that the visitors have the possibility to learn many new things while having fun. The fascinating world of illusions will question the visitors’ confidence in their senses, while completely confusing them: resist gravity in the slanted room; get lost in the infinity of the Room of Mirrors, serve someone’s head on a platter, and finally climb to the ceiling in the Inverted Room!

The Museum of Illusions is the perfect place for new experiences and enjoyment with friends and family, unique in this part of Europe.

Address: Ul. Andrije Kačića Miošića 2, Split

Split Sports Museum

People in Split are passionate about sports. Labeled “the sportiest city in the world”, Split is famous for its talented athletes competing (and winning) in European and world sports competitions and tournaments. The beginning of the organized sport in Split dates all the way back to 1877, but its most significant sporting event took place in 1979 when Split hosted the 8th Mediterranean Games. The rich history of sports is presented in the Split Sports Museum, also known as the Split Sports Hall of Fame.

It imaginatively presents famous individuals from Split’s sports history, and major sports events, but also the spectacular ceremonies that Split gave to its sports achievers. In addition to the classic lineup, the Split Sports Museum has a hall for meetings with numerous sports stars,

sports conferences, and other events, as well as a souvenir shop, multimedia displays, and the like.

Address:Osječka ul. 11, Split

As is visible from this blog, apart from the beautiful beaches and historical attractions, Split has a rich cultural heritage contained, preserved, and displayed in its many museums. When visiting Split, make sure to plan a time to visit some of them and learn about the history of Split. If in doubt, you can always ask for advice from our team at Marvie hotel. For all the other questions regarding your relaxing stay at Marvie Hotel & Health, feel free to contact us at booking@marviehotel.com.

The Best Museums and Galleries to Visit in Split

The Archaeological Museum in Split

Ethnographic museum

Ivan Meštrović museums – the Meštrović Gallery

Croatian Maritime Museum

The Natural History Museum and the ZOO

Diocletian's Dream

Game of Thrones Museum Split

The Museum of Illusions

Split Sports Museum

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