Marjan Hill

Marjan is the forested hill that forms the western tip of the Split peninsula, rising to 178 meters and almost entirely surrounded by the city and the sea. Its pine-covered slopes have served as public green space since Roman times: when Emperor Diocletian built his palace nearby in the 3rd–4th century, the part of Marjan closest to the palace was set aside as parkland for the city that later grew up around it.

The hill carries traces of that long history. A Roman-era temple dedicated to Diana once stood on the Marjan headland, and next to its site stands the pre-Romanesque church of St Jure, built in the 8th or 9th century. Elsewhere on the hill are the small 13th-century church of St Nicholas, the 15th-century church of St Jerome, and a row of Renaissance hermitage caves also dating from the 15th century. A Jewish cemetery on the hill's slopes, established in 1573 and holding more than 700 graves, was closed and placed under protection in 1945. In 1964 Marjan as a whole was declared a protected nature area.

Today the hill combines this history with recreation: trails for walking, jogging and cycling wind through the pine forest, the Meštrović Gallery — housed in sculptor Ivan Meštrović's former villa — and the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments sit on its southern side, and beaches including Kašjuni, Bene and Obojena line its foot.

Since most Split-based gulet itineraries begin and end in the city itself, Marjan Hill is best reached during a Split gulet cruise — guests can walk up from the Riva on the embarkation or disembarkation day, with the hill visible from the water for most of the approach into the harbour.