Solin
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Welcome to Solin – the cradle of Croatian history and the hidden gem of Dalmatia! Once the magnificent ancient Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, today is a city where every stone tells a story thousands of years old. Walking through its archaeological sites, with the sound of the Jadro River and the view of Mount Kozjak, you will discover a wonderful blend of past and present. Join us on a journey through time, ideal for all those seeking an authentic experience and untold stories.
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Points of interest
#1
Gospin Otok
Imagine standing on the spot where, according to tradition, Croatian history in this region began – on Gospin Otok in Solin. This small island, embraced by the backwaters of the Jadro River, is not only a picturesque oasis of greenery, but also a living museum of millennial heritage, a place where the destinies of kings, queens and peoples intertwined. Gospin Otok bears the title of “The First Settlement of Croats” in Solin, and archaeological traces reveal even deeper layers: under the present-day church, remains of Roman walls have been found, which means that life flourished here even before the arrival of the Croats. In the 10th century, the Croatian Queen Jelena, also known as the “mother of orphans and widows”, had two churches built: the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Stephen. It was in the Church of St. Stephen that members of the royal family were buried, and it was there, in August 1898, that Don Frane Bulić found a broken sarcophagus with the inscription of Queen Helena – a moment that caused a real sensation among the gathered children and workers. This discovery, with the letters “HEL” written on it, was like a historical puzzle that finally got its key piece. Both churches survived the Tatar raids of the 13th century, but during the Turkish occupation in the 16th century they became ruins. On their foundations, in the 17th century, a new church with a characteristic belfry on a preslic was built, and after a fire in 1875, the current parish church of Our Lady of the Island was built in 1878. Today, the foundations of medieval churches are clearly visible on the site – a true paradise for archaeologists and history lovers. However, Gospin Otok is not just an archaeological pearl. After the visit of Pope John Paul II In 1998, this place became a symbol of religious and national identity, where thousands of believers gather every year, especially on the feast of the Assumption on August 15. One interesting fact that you may not have known: in 1976, a great celebration was held on Gospin Otok to mark 1300 years of Christianity in Croatia, and then a procession with the image of Our Lady of the Croatian Baptismal Vow passed through Solin - an event that went down in history. The latest addition to this historical complex is the modern Basilica of the Holy Family, completed in 2020, which in a special way combines millennial tradition and contemporary spirituality.
#2
City cemeteries
The cemetery near Gospin Otok in Solin is an important historical site that was used for the burial of residents from the 17th century onwards, located next to the Church of Our Lady of the Island. The remains of two 10th-century churches have been found on the island, connected to the tombs of Croatian rulers, including the sarcophagus of Queen Jelena, which attests to a long tradition of burial and religious life. The cemetery is part of a wider network of necropolises in Solin, which are located along old roads and have been linked to the development of the city since ancient times. The three main necropolises of Salona – the western, eastern and southeastern – were important parts of the city’s life. The western cemetery, next to the amphitheatre, was explored in the 19th and 20th centuries, where walled burial spaces and various forms of burial were found. The eastern cemetery is known for its inscriptions of Roman soldiers of the VII. Legion, while the southeastern one contains a tombstone inscription of Gaius Aemilius Ingenus, which mentions important infrastructure works. The development of Christianity brought new necropolises such as Manastirina and Kapljuč, where basilicas and tombs of martyrs were built, which indicated the importance of these places. In addition, Illyrian hillforts and cemeteries near Klis, Sutikva and on the slopes of Kozjak confirm the continuous tradition of burial in this area. Cemeteries are often located along roads or churches, which shows the connection of everyday and religious life throughout history.
#3
Gaspina Mill
Right in front of you stands Gašpina mlinica, which reveals how the city has developed since the 18th century, but also much more: here, on the banks of a river that has never dried up, stories of work, encounters and everyday life that are difficult to imagine today intertwine. Mills on the Jadr were first mentioned as far back as 1069, in a grant from King Petar Krešimir IV, but Gašpina mlinica belongs to a more recent generation – it was built in the early 18th century, after the area was liberated from the Turks. The first written record of it dates back to 1711, and the ownership was taken over by the Kljaković Gašpić family, whose surname is still synonymous with this mill today. Imagine a picture from the past: autumn is coming, and caravans of peasants from Zagora descend from Klis, boats from the islands of Čiovo, Brač, Šolta and Korčula dock along the Jadr shore, waiting their turn to grind grain. In Gašpina mill, the largest and most important on the river, as many as 15 mills operated simultaneously – a true small industry in the heart of Dalmatia. The Austrian cadastre from 1831 records seven Solin mills with a total of 51 mill wheels, and Gašpina was the most important among them. The building complex consists of four stone single-storey houses in a row, with gable roofs made of stone slabs. The most widespread type of mill wheel in Dalmatia – horizontal, with stone wheels and wooden axles – was driven by water falling from a height of 2–3 meters through jaže (special grooves). Particularly interesting: ancient tombstones from Salona were used for the lintels, which testifies to the ingenuity and recycling of materials at that time. However, Gašpina mill was not only used for grinding grain – in the 1930s, glass was also ground here, and life in the mill was the center of social events. Milling was a lucrative business for a long time, and only with the advent of electric mills and industrialization did the mill slowly lose its role. However, the mill operated until the 1960s. After being left to the ravages of time for decades, Gašpina mill was renovated between 2002 and 2008, with special emphasis on the use of traditional materials such as lime mortar and stone aggregate, in order to restore its original splendor. Today, it is listed in the Register of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia as an example of a public building and an essential stop for every visitor to Solin. Perhaps the most interesting fact: Gašpina mill is older than many countries in the world, including the USA and Australia – which is particularly fascinating to foreign tourists who visit it. Today, it is cared for by local families who want to convey to anyone who steps through its doors a life without televisions, cell phones, and the internet – a life in which news, stories, and friendships were created right here, with the sound of water and the smell of freshly ground flour.
#4
Gradina Park
The Gradina in Solin is located north of the Church of Our Lady of the Islands, along the right bank of the Jadro River. During the reign of Emperor Justinian, a domed church was built there, which differed from the European architecture of the time, which mainly used simple basilicas, because it had a central floor plan. During the 16th century, during a time of conflict between the Ottoman Empire and local forces, the Ottomans quickly built a fortress on the site in 1531, allegedly within fifteen days, with the aim of controlling traffic and supplies in the area of Klis. When the Uskoks demolished the fortress, the Turks rebuilt it again in approximately twenty days. The Gradina played a key role during the siege of Klis, as whoever controlled the fortress could cut off the supply routes. Within its walls, the former church was converted into a mosque, reflecting the changing religious and cultural influences in the area. According to legend, Gradina was the site of the last battles of the Klis Uskoks under the leadership of Petar Kružić, a famous Croatian military leader. After the fall of Klis in 1537, the Turks withdrew from Gradina, and over time its military importance weakened. Today, Gradina has a new function as a cultural and festival stage during the summer, where the combination of history and art is expressed in programs under the starry sky, while remaining a permanent element of the public and social life of Solin.
#5
Hollow Church
The following is the story of Šuplja Crkva, a place where the destinies of kings, monks and peoples intertwined, and every stone hides traces of past centuries. This church, also known as the Church of Saint Peter and Moses, is not just another archaeological site – it is the heart of ancient Croatian history and the coronation hall of Croatian rulers. Imagine standing east of ancient Salona, right next to the murmur of the Jadro River, on the ground where the first Christians built a basilica and cemetery back in the 6th century. At that time, this place was part of a picturesque necropolis, and later, in the 11th century, the Croats built an imposing three-nave basilica on these foundations, then the largest in this area, with characteristic early Romanesque features. Five pairs of columns divided the interior of the church into three naves, and the special feature was the three apses incorporated into the body of the building itself. However, what makes Šuplja Crkva truly special is not only the architecture. Here, on October 8, 1076, King Dmitar Zvonimir was crowned, and the ceremony was led by the papal legate Gebizon – a clear sign of Rome’s political influence on the Croatian kingdom at the time. Imagine the scene: the king on the throne, the gathered nobles, priests, and the people – all witnesses to a historical moment that forever marked this place. Interestingly, some fragments of reliefs found in the church depict King Zvonimir receiving the adoration of his subjects, and parts of the altar railing are now built into the baptismal font of the Split Baptistery of St. John. The name “Šuplja Crkva” came about when, during the wars between the Venetians and the Turks in the 17th century, the roof collapsed, and time and history began to blow through the remains of the walls. In a drawing from 1571, the church still had a bell tower and walls, but the roof had already disappeared. Next to the church there was a Benedictine monastery, whose abbot Urso was a close friend of King Zvonimir – perhaps this connection is the reason why this church was chosen for the coronation. Particularly interesting: due to changes in the bed of the Jadro River and silt deposits from the St. Elijah stream, today the church's pavement is below the river level, which is a rare example of how nature can reshape a historical landscape. Archaeological research, which has been ongoing since 1927, has uncovered numerous finds, including Byzantine gold coins from the time of Emperor Heraclius – testimony to the turbulent times when Salona was losing its importance under the pressure of economic and political crises. If you are interested in how life along the Jadro River continued after the Middle Ages, just a few steps away you can visit Gašpa's mill, which tells the story of the economic life of Solin from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
#6
Jadro River
In front of you is the Jadro River, also known as the "Solinska Rika" - seemingly short, but so important that over the centuries it has become the lifeblood of the entire region. Imagine, only 4.5 kilometers of flow, and half of Dalmatia drinks from its sources: Split, Kaštela, Trogir and of course Solin, the city that owes its life and name to it. The Jadro springs at the foot of the mighty Mosor, at a height of 35 meters, and from the first meters it carries stories of ancient Illyrians, Roman emperors and Croatian kings. It is no coincidence that it is called the "Croatian Jordan" - it was in its clear waters that Croats accepted Christianity, and the symbolism of that act lives on today. The river is a true karst phenomenon: its water comes from deep underground streams, and the entire Jadro basin is estimated to be as much as 250 to 500 km² - which means that it is partly fed by the same underground as the Cetina. The upper reaches of the Jadro were declared a special reserve because of the endemic soft-mouthed trout, the “Solinka”, a fish that lives nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, today it is threatened by the invasive rainbow trout, which has caused quite a bit of an ecological alarm. In ancient times, the Jadro was the source of life for Salona and later Diocletian’s Palace. Imagine, the Romans built a 9-kilometer-long aqueduct, twice as long as the river itself, to bring water to Split – and the remains of this engineering marvel are still visible today. Legend has it that Diocletian himself played on the banks of the Jadro as a child, and as an emperor he returned to drink water from the river of his childhood. The Middle Ages brought new symbolism: the islets formed by the Jadro’s branches became the coronation and burial sites of Croatian kings. Gospin Otok and Šuplja crkva guard the tomb of Queen Jelena and the memory of the coronation of King Zvonimir in 1075. Today, Jadro is much more than a historical monument – it is a living park in the heart of Solin, with bridges, ducks, swans and the only preserved mill, the 18th-century Gašpa Mill, where you can still see how grain was once ground. The river is also a natural refuge for birds such as herons and cormorants, and its water remains a symbol of the purity and durability of Solin's heritage.