Little about the history of the ancient town of Trogir
Trogir has a 2300 years of continuous urban tradition.
In the 3rd century BC, Tragurion was founded by Greek
colonists from the island of Vis, and it developed into a
major port until the Roman period. The name comes
from the Greek "tragos" (male goat). Similarly, the name
of the neighbouring island of Bua comes from the Greek
"voua" (herd of cattle). The sudden prosperity of Salona
deprived Trogir of its importance. During the migration
of Slavs the citizens of the destroyed Salona escaped to
Trogir. From the 9th century on, Trogir paid tribute to
Croatian rulers. The diocese of Trogir was established
in the 11th century (abolished in 1828) and in 1107 it was
chartered by the Hungarian-Croatian king Coloman,
gaining thus its autonomy as a town.
In 1123 Trogir was conquered and almost completely
demolished by the Saracens. However, Trogir recovered
in a short period to experience powerful economic
prosperity in the 12th and the 13th centuries. In 1242
King Béla IV found refuge there as he fled the Tatars. In
the 13th and the 14th centuries, members of the Šubić
family were most frequently elected dukes by the
citizens of Trogir; Mladen III (1348), according to the
inscription on the sepulchral slab in the Cathedral of
Trogir called "the shield of the Croats", was one of the
most prominent Šubićs. In Dalmatian, the city was
known as Tragur.
Kamerlengo Castle
In 1420 the period of a long-term Venetian rule began.
On the fall of Venice in 1797, Trogir became a part of the
Habsburg Empire which ruled over the city until 1918,
with the exception of French occupation from 1806 to
1814. After World War I, Trogir, together with Croatia,
became a part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and
Serbs and subsequently the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
During this period Italian citizens, until 1918 the ruling
class and almost half part of the population, were forced
to leave for Italy. During World War II, Trogir was
occupied by Italy and subsequently liberated in 1944.
Since then it belonged to the second Yugoslavia, and
from 1991 to Croatia.
Main sights
Trogir has a 2300 years of continuous urban tradition.
Its culture was created under the influence of old
Greeks, Romans, and Venetians. Trogir has a high
concentration of palaces, churches, and towers, as well
as a fortress on a small island, and in 1997 was
inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. "The
orthogonal street plan of this island settlement dates
back to the Hellenistic period and it was embellished by
successive rulers with many fine public and domestic
buildings and fortifications. Its beautiful Romanesque
churches are complemented by the outstanding
Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian
period", says UNESCO report.
Trogir is the best-preserved Romanesque-Gothic
complex not only in the Adriatic, but in all of Central
Europe. 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
Croatia.