Republic Square (Trg Republike) is the large arcaded square on the western edge of Split's old town, open on its south side to the harbour. Everyone in Split calls it Prokurative, after the Procuratie on St Mark's Square in Venice, which its neo-Renaissance arcades imitate. It was the pet project of Antonio Bajamonti, the 19th-century mayor who also gave Split a theatre, gas street lighting and a working Roman aqueduct.
Republic Square at a glance
- Where: just west of the Riva, at the bottom of Marmontova street, between the old town and the Varoš quarter.
- Built: from 1859, when work began on the central building; the west wing followed in the mid-1860s, and the east side was completed only in 1911 and 1928.
- What it is today: an open-air living room for Split, with cafés and restaurants under the arcades and, every July, the stage of the Split Festival of pop music.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes to walk around, longer if you stop for a coffee under the arcades.
A Venetian square for a 19th-century mayor
In the early 19th century, while Dalmatia was under French rule during the Napoleonic Wars, Split's Baroque fortifications were pulled down, leaving open ground on the western side of the old town. Antonio Bajamonti (1822–1891), a doctor by training, wanted to fill it with something grand. In 1859, the year before he became mayor, work started on the central building on the north side of the square, which housed a public theatre that Bajamonti paid for himself. The west wing went up in the mid-1860s, while he was running the city.
Bajamonti led the Autonomists, who looked to Italian culture and opposed the union of Dalmatia with Croatia, so a square in the style of Venice was a political statement as much as a piece of town planning. His party lost the city to the Croatian People's Party in the early 1880s, and in the same years the theatre burned down. The square was finished long after him: the east side was added in 1911 and 1928. His other great monument, the monumental fountain he built on the Riva in 1880, was demolished by the city authorities in 1947 as a symbol of Italian rule. The square survived. Its official name today is Republic Square, but the Venetian nickname stuck.
What to look for
- The arcades: a continuous row of round arches at street level on three sides, the feature borrowed from the Procuratie in Venice.
- The open south side: stand at the north end of the square and the two wings frame a view straight out to the harbour.
- The window decoration: the upper floors carry reliefs and mouldings inspired by ancient and Renaissance models, part of the Italian look Bajamonti wanted.
- Seventy years in the making: the west wing dates from the 1860s and the east side from the 20th century, so the square took almost 70 years to complete.
- The warm red façades: their colour sets the square apart from the pale limestone of Diocletian's Palace, a few minutes' walk away.
The Split Festival
Since 1960 Split has held a festival of Croatian pop music every July, and Prokurative is its traditional stage. For a few summer evenings the square fills with a stage and seating, and singers perform new songs in front of the arcades. Outside festival time it hosts concerts and other events, and on ordinary evenings it is simply where people meet for a drink.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the late afternoon or evening, when the square is at its liveliest and the light on the façades is softer.
- For the classic photo, stand under the arcades on the north side and frame the square with the sea behind it.
- In July, check the dates of the Split Festival: while it is on, the stage takes over much of the square.
- Combine it with a walk along the Riva and a look into the Franciscan church at the west end of the waterfront.
Nearby
- Riva: the palm-lined waterfront promenade along the front of Diocletian's Palace, a couple of minutes east.
- Church and Monastery of St Francis: at the western end of the Riva, the burial place of Marko Marulić, the father of Croatian literature.
- Marmontova: the pedestrian shopping street running north from the square, named after Marshal Marmont, who governed Dalmatia for Napoleon.
- Croatian National Theatre: the theatre opened in 1893 on Trg Gaje Bulata, a few minutes' walk north.
See Split with World City Trail
Our Split scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 20 minutes of walking. Along the way it includes the Croatian National Theatre, the Gregory of Nin statue and the Golden Gate of Diocletian's Palace.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Split.
Play the Split scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Split →
Play the outdoor escape game in Split →
Facts checked in October 2026.