TROGIR, a town and harbour on the coastal strip of the Kastela Gulf, 27 km west of Split. The old core is situated on a small island between the island of Ciovo and the mainland; connected with the mainland by a small stone bridge, and with the island of Ciovo by a drawbridge. The town spreads to the northern coast of Ciovo, opposite the small island.

Trogir is a town-museum in the very meaning of the word. Lovers of cultural and historical monuments, art, original architecture and nice alleys are given the opportunity in Trogir to learn about the manifold and complex heritage - from the Romanesque yard to the modern interiors.

The unique historical core, Radovan's portal, the art collections which have been arousing excitement among visitors and travellers for centuries offer a tourist beauty, personified in the relief of Kairos as an appropriate souvenir.

The wider surroundings of Trogir (Trogir - Seget - Ciovo Riviera) is characterized by lavish green vegetation, numerous islands and islets, rocky and pebble beaches. Apart from the high quality accommodation - hotels, boarding houses, apartments, campsites, delicious domestic food, fish dishes in par-ticular, the sports and recreation offer includes many opportunities - tennis, boccia, bowling, jogging, surfing school, diving. Entertainment includes lively fishermen's nights and folklore show but also classical music concerts in special scenic sets of the town.

The old core on the small island, inscribed in 1997 in the UNESCO World Heritage List, developed between the 13th and the 15th centuries within the city walls, reconstructed by Venice in the 15th century. Two of the buildings from the same century, which have survived up to now, are Kamerlengo Citadel and St. Mark's Tower. The older, eastern part of the town spread around the main square with the Cathedral. The western part, Pasika, was settled later. A new settlement on the island of Ciovo dates back to the period of wars with the Turks. The city walls were destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century.

Trogir used to be one of the most significant cultural centres of Dalmatia. Master Radovan (13th c.), 15th-century sculptors and builders Ivan Budislavljic, Matej Gojkovicc, Nikola Firentinac (Nicholas of Florence, 15th and 16th-century humanists Petar and Koriolan Cipiko as well as Fran Trankvil Andreis, a friend of Erasmus of Rotterdam, and the 17th-century historian Ivan Lucic - they all worked and lived in Trogir.

The late Renaissance city gate (17th c.) represents the northern entrance into the town. The narrow and picturesque alleys with several beautiful palaces (the Baroque Garanjin-Fanfogna Palace, now the Town Museum collection of stone monuments) lead to the square Narodni Trg.

The three-nave Cathedral of St. Lawrence (13th - 15th c.) is to the north. Through a vestibule one reaches the main gate, the Radovan's Portal, made by Master Radovan and his co-workers, in 1240. The sides of the portal feature lion figures, with the figures of Adam and Eve above them. The outer pilasters represent saints, the central genre scenes symbolizing the calendar months, and the small posts feature hunting scenes and various fantastic animals framed by lavish floral decoration. The lunette features the Nativity of Christ. The baptismal font dating from 1467, the most important preserved work by Andrija Alesi, is on the other end of the vestibule. The relief Baptism of Our Lord is above the gate, and the altar with the statue of St. John the Baptist is in the interior, with the relief featuring St. Jerome in the Cave.

The town clock tower, once the small Renaissance church of St. Sebastian (the statues of Christ and St. Sebastian on the front were probably made by Nicholas of Florence) rises near the Loggia. The three-nave early mediaeval church of St. Barbara (11th c.), the oldest church in Trogir preserved in its original form, is situated behind the Loggia. The complex of the Cipiko Palace, consisting of a big palace - portal and a small palace, separated by an alley, closes the western part of the square. Opposite of the Palace is the 15th-century Town Hall, with its Romanesque façade overlooking the square; the Gothic yard comprises coats of arms and a stone head (the legend has it that it represents the sculptor Matej Gojkovic).

A street along the Town Hall leads to the coast, where the Romanesque church of St. John the Baptist (13th c.), with the ruins of mediaeval walls, is situated. The way farther down the coast leads to the Renaissance town gate; the Benedictine nuns' monastery (founded in 1064, expanded in the 16th c.) with the church of St. Nicholas is to the right. The Renaissance bell tower was erected in 1598.

The collection of the monastery keeps the relief depicting Kairos, the Romanesque-style Madonna with Child, a painted Gothic crucifix, etc. The street to the right leads to the Renaissance church of St. Peter (Ba-roque main altar). West of Lucic Palace is the monastery and the church of St. Dominic, a one-nave structure from the 14th century with Baroque altars. The church portal is a work by Master Nicholas from 1372. The church houses the tomb of the Sobota family (Nicholas of Florence, 1469) and the painting representing The Circumcision of Christ.

The Kamerlengo Ci-tadel, once connected with the city walls, rises in the south-western part of the small island. The high tower of the citadel represents an expansion of the earlier Genoa Tower from 1380. The present aspect of the Castle dates from the 15th century. North of the Castle is the round tower of St. Mark from the 15th century and the classicist gloriette between the Castle and the tower originates from the period under the French occupation. The town graveyard, 2 km northeast of Trogir, accommodates the relief of Our Lord (Nicholas of Florence).