Klis Fortress

Klis sits on a rock straddling the only easy pass between the coast at Split and the Dalmatian interior, which is why it has been fortified since Illyrian times and fought over ever since - a Croatian royal stronghold, then held by Petar Kruzic and his garrison against repeated Ottoman assaults until it fell in 1537, then Ottoman for over a century, then Venetian, with each rebuilding on the last. The result is a long narrow fortress stepped up the ridge in three enclosures. It was used as a filming location for Game of Thrones, which is what brought much of the current traffic, and the view down over Split and the islands is the other reason.

History

The Illyrian Dalmatae held a stronghold here before the Romans took it in 9 AD; the Romans called it Andetrium and later Clausura, the root of the name Klis, and remembered the siege it withstood in the Illyrian revolt. Byzantine from 537, it became a Croatian stronghold from the 7th century, and in the 9th century Duke Mislav (835-845) made it his seat; his successor Trpimir I named Klis as his property in his charter of 4 March 852 and built the first Benedictine monastery in Croatia at Rižinice below it. In March 1242 the fortress held out against the Mongols hunting Béla IV, and the king's daughter Saint Margaret was born there that year. In the 14th century the Šubić family ruled from Klis. In the 16th century Petar Kružić defended it against the Ottomans for more than two and a half decades, until it surrendered on 12 March 1537; it was then the seat of an Ottoman sanjak for about a century, until the Venetian commander Leonardo Foscolo forced its garrison to surrender in the war of 1645-1669. Venice held it from 1669, restored and enlarged it, and after 1797 it passed to Austria (Wikipedia, Fortress of Klis).

The main sights

• A fortress on the only pass - the route between Split and the interior.
• Kruzic's defence and its fall - held against the Ottomans until 1537.
• Three enclosures up the ridge - rebuilt by each occupier in turn.
• A filming location - used in Game of Thrones.

When to go

April to October; it is exposed and hot in midsummer. Half a day.

Things to know

The ground inside is uneven stone with steep drops and few railings - poor for anyone unsteady. There is almost no shade. Parking below is limited and the village road is narrow. Interpretation is modest for a site this important.

Nearby

Split and Salona are below; Sinj is further inland.

Key facts