Archaeological Museum, Split

The Split Archaeological Museum, founded in 1820 by a decree of the Dalmatian government in Zadar, holds the distinction of being Croatia's oldest museum. Encompassing a vast collection of approximately 150,000 artifacts, the museum offers a journey through various historical periods. These include prehistoric times, the era of Greek colonization in the Adriatic, the Roman Provincial and Early Christian era, the early Middle Ages, and the reign of Croatian leaders.

Among the treasures showcased are stone inscriptions from Salona, along with collections of Graeco-Hellenistic ceramic objects, Roman glass, ancient clay lamps, bone and metal articles, gems, and coins.

The museum's primary location is at Zrinsko-Frankopanska 25 in Split. Additionally, it boasts a branch building in Solin (Salona and Tusculum) and two regional centers at Vid near Metković (Narona Collection) and on the island of Vis.

The museum complex comprises a two-story main building, featuring exhibition halls on the ground floor and a library and study rooms on the first floor. Encircling the main building, a row of arcades houses the Lapidarium, while an adjoining garden provides a serene outdoor space.

Why You Should Visit:
World-class collection and the entrance fee for an adult is a real bargain.
Even if you are not into history and artifacts there is a WOW factor.
If you like to know how people lived, this museum touches on many facets.

Tip:
The gates may look closed and forbidding, but do try them and head on in.
Sometimes you have to ring the bell so the custodian can buzz the gate to let you in.
Although you enter the garden first, you need to go inside and pay before looking around.
Also, the museum closes between 2-4pm before re-opening until later in the evening.