Home Beaches

Architecture in Croatia


Sibenik's architecture

Croatia has some astonishing architectural assets. The county’s best Roman architectural remains are to be found in Split and Pula: architecturally outstanding complex of Diocletian’s Palace in Split and the extremely well preserved amphitheater in Pula – Istria.

Other significant Roman sites include Zadar and Salona (archaeological site near Solin – Split), while numerous smaller finds are exhibited at the archaeological museum in Split.

In Istria, the important architectural sites are in Porec – the Euphrasian Basilica, which was commissioned by Bishop Euphrasius in 535BC to 50BC. Basilica contains some particularly beautiful Byzantine wall mosaics.

The architecture of the Croatian coastal towns is a sign of Croatia’s history too. The architecture styles are mixture of Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. There are lot of less glamorous traditional stone houses with red tiled roofs that stand along the Adriatic coast, standing along with architectural gems of the past and the modern hotel complexes of the late twentieth century.

Exceptionally architecturally attractive are old towns of Dubrovnik, Korcula, Trogir, Sibenik and Zadar.

Trogir’s medieval core, surrounded by walls, comprises a preserved castle and tower and a series of dwellings and palaces from the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods. Trogir’s grandest building is the church of St. Lawrence, whose main west portal is a masterpiece by Radovan, and the most significant work of the Romanesque-Gothic style in the country.

The best preserved among fortified medieval towns are Korcula and Dubrovnik. The Islands of Hvar and Korcula were both Venetian naval strongholds and at different times housed the Venetian Arsenal.

Sibenik is coastal town with impressive architecture of Katedrala Svetog Jakova (St. James Cathedral). The structural characteristics of the Cathedral of St James in Šibenik make it a unique and outstanding building in which Gothic and Renaissance forms have been successfully blended.

Architecture of Korcula Old Town is a medieval, built as a walled city positioned on an oval-shaped swelling of land pointing deep into Peljesac Channel. The city itself is grooved with a succession of narrow streets that branch off the spine of the main street like the fish bone.

Town of Hvar is a well-preserved medieval city that has a particularly fine sixteenth century Renaissance cathedral, the Cathedral of St Stephen, which stands to one side of the town’s main square Venetian Arsenal.

As far as north Croatia is concerned, Varazdin is the richest in Baroque architecture, while Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, is typical Middle-European city with various samples of Secessionist and Neo-Baroque architectural styles.

There are also some beautiful castles in continental part of Croatia

Also, well known Posavina style wooden cottage architecture is part of Croatian architectural heritage that is well preserved in the area of Lonjsko Polje – Posavina.

Dubrovnik Photo Album – see small selection of photos from Dubrovnik – Dubrovnik is the city located at the south end of Croatia. It has it’s own airport as well as ferry terminal so it can be reached by air from vast range of European cities as well as by various ferries from Croatian cities, towns and islands as well as from Italy…. Dubrovnik Photos

Unesco Heritage Croatia
Photos of Croatian Cities

More articles about architecture in Croatia