The Prokurative (officially Republic Square) is a Neo-Renaissance piazza built between 1859 and 1889 and modelled on St. Mark's Square in Venice — three sides of arcaded buildings enclosing a square that opens directly onto the Adriatic. The ensemble was designed by architect Ivan Buble during the Habsburg period as Split's attempt to claim the grand civic architecture of a European capital, and its cream-coloured façades and symmetrical arcades provide a striking contrast to the irregular stone of the Roman and medieval old town.
The square is the main venue for the Split Summer Festival (July-August) with concerts, opera, and ballet staged against the colonnaded backdrop, and for the Melodies of the Croatian Adriatic (Melodije Jadrana), the city's annual festival of popular Dalmatian song. For the rest of the year, the cafés along the arcades — less touristy than those on the Riva — provide one of Split's most atmospheric places for an evening drink.
Verified Facts
The Prokurative was built between 1859 and 1889
It was modelled on St. Mark's Square in Venice
The square hosts the Split Summer Festival
The Melodies of the Croatian Adriatic festival is held here
Get walking directions
Trg Republike, Grad, Split, 21000, Croatia
