The Fragmented Legacy of Split: Reflections on Culture and the Past

I visited Split for the first time in 2020, when I barely had any money in my account and couldn’t even imagine that my story with Croatia was just beginning. I had heard my grandmother talk about this city countless times. Almost all of my great-grandparents came from the Dalmatian region, and even in Argentina, they continued speaking of the beauty and cultural legacy of Split.

When I mention the culture of Split, I’m not just referring to the Diocletian Palace, but also to Stari Grad. To the Riva promenade, the port, and its turquoise beaches. I’m not talking about just a couple of buildings, but about the way the waves crash against the stones of the port. I also refer to the cafés where thousands of tourists sit on the Riva, contemplating the vastness of the sea. I’m talking about the feeling of being immersed in a temporal journey that appears in the corridors of the old city.

In this sense, every time I wander through the alleyways of the Stari Grad, observing Roman columns and Christian churches coexisting harmoniously, I ask myself countless questions: What traces have these civilizations left? How have cultural and religious changes in this space not only shaped the city of Split but also influenced our understanding of what a place’s legacy truly means?

From the Roman Empire to the arrival of Christianity, the palace has been a witness to society’s constant transformation. But what this process of change leaves behind is not only the physical impact on the structures, but also an intangible legacy. These are the echoes of beliefs and customs that marked the history of this place and that coexist in harmony. The multiplicity that has defined the cultural legacy of Split and its effects today.

The Overlap of Civilizations: Traces that Never Disappear

If we think of the heterogeneous character that defines Split, we can affirm that the cultural traces we encounter are the result of centuries of change. The Diocletian Palace began as a royal residence and a gem of imperial power. However, when Christianity arrived, the place was radically transformed. Roman temples were suffocated by churches, attempting to cover up the imperial past. Egyptian sphinxes were seen as symbols of paganism, many of which were destroyed, like the one without a head that guards the entrance to the old Temple of Jupiter.

However, these traces are not simply relics of a lost past, but an active reminder of multiplicity. Today, the imported Egyptian columns, Roman temples, and Christian churches are visible marks of a profound transformation. While Christians sought to silence the traces of pagan religion, the pink Egyptian columns mixed with the walls built in the name of God testify to a pre-existence that never completely disappeared.

What is fascinating about Split is that the legacy doesn’t represent a process of replacement. That is, there wasn’t a total destruction of the previous culture. Those headless sphinxes represent traces of past civilizations. Every structure, every wall, every stone seems to tell a story of how Roman culture gave way to Christianity, but never fully disappeared. Beliefs did not dissolve, but rather fused with new ideas, creating something distinct.

Tourism and the Cultural Trace: How Do We Live with the Legacy of the Past?

Today, thousands of people visit Split. In this sense, the context has changed radically. It is no longer that small city my grandmother used to talk about, but a mass-tourism destination. In this regard, as I watch visitors take photos and listen to stories about Emperor Diocletian, I wonder: how do we live with this legacy? Are we truly connected to the stories and cultures that left their mark? Or do we simply consume them as another attraction?

Are we aware of the millions of people who walked those same spaces? Can we feel the embraces, words, or tears that were shared there? As visitors, can we truly engage with the place we arrive at, beyond the postcard image? Can we see the cultural traces of the civilizations that passed through Split beyond the surface? Can we perceive how Romans and Christians left not only structures but also ways of thinking and beliefs that still influence the city today?

The mix between the inherited culture of Split and modern-day Croatia evokes various questions related to today’s society and tourism. The reflection is: how should we relate to a place’s cultural legacy? Should we simply preserve and admire the traces left by past generations, or should we also question the meaning of these legacies and how they affect us today?

What Do We Do with the Traces of the Past?

My years living in my grandparents’ country showed me that fragmentation deeply marks Croatia. Diversity runs through not only the city of Split but also the many empires that ruled these lands. The fate of the thousands of Croats who, like my grandparents, emigrated to America in search of a better future. Wars, conquests, immigration, and independence describe the history that Croats inherited. This country’s history is not linear but defined as a fragmented line. After independence, the new generations carried the weight of a complex past that, in a sense, divided society again. Some nostalgic for Yugoslavia, others ardent admirers of the European Union, all share the heritage of disintegration.

In this sense, this process of transformation is not something that happened centuries ago; it is still happening today. The traces of the past force us to confront our own beliefs and customs. They don’t disappear; they are part of us and our identity. And as we immerse ourselves in the history of Split or Croatia, we can see how those same traces blend with contemporary values, mass tourism, and globalization.

The Living Legacy: Split as a Symbol of Continuity and Change

What you can learn by walking through the ruins of Split is that cultural legacy is not something that is preserved immutably. It is something that is lived and experienced, that evolves, adapts, and transforms. Not only the passage of the Roman Empire and Christianity, but also wars and fragmentation. Independence, mass tourism, and the European Union. A legacy that stays alive and merges with the present, constantly reshaping itself.

However, sometimes, the traces of ancient cultures dissolve among the rush of the present. Just as with our family history, we forget where we came from and our origin. But, even if we ignore it, we are bound to this connection with our past and heritage. Not only politically as a society but also as individuals.

Fragmented and broken, our identity is not a straight line nor is it uniform. Often, we cannot put it into words or explain what we feel. Perhaps immersing ourselves one day in the streets of an old city will help us reconnect with our past, with diversity and fragmentation.

Perhaps a more conscious form of tourism that encourages reflection will help us perceive the past for what it is: a constant presence that shapes the present. It is part of us and our everyday lives. Traces are not static monuments but a story that continues to unfold. Just like my grandparents’ story, those traces we leave behind never completely disappear.

Have you visited Split? What do you think about the past and its relationship with the present? Let me know!

If you are interested in identity and fragmentation, you can visit my article about Croatia and Returning to a Land that’s not mine