HISTORICAL FORTRESS KLIS NEAR SPLIT CITY

Today I'm taking you with me to the magnificent fortress of Klis. I visited this fortress about a month ago. Overlooking Split city, this ancient fortress is rich in history. Throughout centuries, Klis fortress has been a guardian angel for Split city. This medieval fortress started its life as a stronghold for an ancient Ilyrian tribe Dalmatea. Its importance for Split city and Dalmatia region as a whole cannot be stressed enough. This fortress has protected us for many centuries, keeping us safe from many Ottoman invasions. One could go so far as to say that this fortress was crucial for the urban development of Split city. Scroll down to read and see more (I also made an effort to translate my post this time).

HR Danas vas vodim sa sobom u veličanstvenu tvrđavu Klis. Ova drevna tvrđava s pogledom na grad  Split bogata je poviješću. Tvrđava Klis je kroz stoljeća bila anđeo čuvar grada Splita. Ova je srednjovjekovna tvrđava započela svoj život kao uporište za drevno ilirsko pleme Dalmata. O njegovoj važnosti za grad Split i cijelu Dalmaciju ne može se reći dovoljno. Ova tvrđava nas je štitila stoljećima, osigurala nam sigurnost unatoč brojnim osmanskih napada. Moglo bi se ići tako daleko da se može reći da je ta tvrđava bila ključna za urbani razvoj grada Splita.

IT Oggi vi porto con me per un visito nella magnifica fortezza di Klis. Affacciata sulla città di Spalato, questa antica fortezza è ricca di storia. Nel corso dei secoli, la fortezza di Klis è stata l'angelo prottegore della città di Spalato. Questa fortezza medievale ha iniziato la sua vita come roccaforte di un'antica tribù illirica ( tribù Dalmatea) . La sua importanza per la città di Spalato e la regione della Dalmazia  non può essere sottolineata abbastanza. Questa fortezza ci ha protetto per molti secoli, proteggendoci da molte invasioni ottomane. Si potrebbe  dire che questa fortezza era cruciale per lo sviluppo urbano della città Spalato.

MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND YEAR OF HISTORY- KLIS FORTRESS

Klis fortress may have begun its life as a small stronghold of an Illyrian tribe, but throughout the centuries it rose in importance. Indeed, Klis fortress became a royal castle and the seat of numerous Croatian kings. From there on, the fortress grew in importance and size until it became a large fortress. During the many centuries when Ottoman wars and raids were a common occurrence in Europe, Klis fortress has proven its virtue many times, saving the civilian population of sure death or  a fate even worse: enslavement. It is easy to understand why so many songs and works of literature reference this fortress or are devoted to it.

HR VIŠE OD DVIJE TISUĆE GODINA POVIJESTI - TVDĐAVA KLIS 

Tvrđava Klis možda je započela svoj život kao malo uporište ilirskog plemena, ali kroz stoljeća je dobivala na važnosti. Doista, tvrđava Klis postala je kraljevski dvorac i sjedište brojnih hrvatskih kraljeva. Odatle je tvrđava dobivala na značaju i veličini sve dok nije postala velika obranbena tvrđava. Tijekom mnogih stoljeća kada su osmanski ratovi i napadi bili uobičajena pojava u Europi, tvrđava Klis je više puta dokazala svoju važnost, spasivši civilno stanovništvo od sigurne smrti ili sudbine još gore: porobljavanja. Lako je razumjeti zašto toliko pjesama i djela iz literature spominju ovu tvrđavu ili su joj posvećeni.

IT PIÙ DI DUE MILLE ANNI DI STORIA - LA FORTEZZA DI KLIS

La fortezza di Klis potrebbe iniziato la sua vita come una piccola roccaforte di una tribù illirica, ma nel corso dei secoli ha acquisito importanza. In effetti, la fortezza di Klis divenne un castello reale e la sede di numerosi re croati. Da lì in poi, la fortezza è cresciuta in importanza e dimensioni fino a diventare una grande fortezza. Durante i molti secoli in cui le guerre e le incursioni ottomane erano un evento comune in Europa, la fortezza di Klis ha dimostrato molte volte la sua virtù, salvando la popolazione civile di morte certa o un destino ancora peggio: schiavitù. È facile capire perché così tante canzoni e opere letterarie fanno parlano della questa fortezza o sono dedicate a fortezza Klis. 

KLIS FORTRESS WAS A FILMING LOCATION FOR GAME OF THRONES

Klis fortress was also one of the filming locations of TV series Game of Thrones. I don't think I saw those episodes as I switched to books after season two but I believe Klis fortress played the part of a city named Meereen. From what I've seen from clips, it was the right location for the job!

KLIS TVRĐAVA BILA JE LOKACIJA ZA SNIMANJE SERIJALA IGRA PRESTOLJA

Tvrđava Klis bila je i jedno od mjesta snimanja TV serije Igra prijestolja. Mislim da nisam vidjela te epizode jer sam se prebacila na knjige nakon druge sezone, ali vjerujem da je tvrđava Klis bila grad koji se zove Meereen. Iz noga što sam vidjela s isječaka, bila je to prava lokacija za posao!

LA FORTEZZA DI KLIS È STATA UNA LOCATION PER PER IL GIOCO DEL TRONO

La fortezza di Klis è stata anche una delle location per il gioco del tron. Non credo di aver visto quegli episodi perche passavo ai libri dopo la seconda stagione del gioco del trono, ma credo che la fortezza di Klis abbia interpretato la parte di una città di nome Meereen. Da quello che ho visto dalle clip, era un successo. 

Photos that aren't my own taken from Klis Uskoci offical site. 

DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT KLIS FOTRESS 

 Klis fortress appeared in a documentary film Croatian Kings that was available (not sure if it is still available) on Viasat History Channel. There is also a documentary series The Age of Uskoks devoted to defenders of Klis, known as Uskoks. 

HR DOKUMENTARCI O TVRĐAVI KLIS 

  Tvrđava Klis pojavila se u dokumentarnom filmu Hrvatski kraljevi koji je bio dostupan (nije sigurno je li još dostupan) na Viasat History Channel,  a ako živite u Hrvatskoj možete ga jednostavno pogledati preko službene stranice HRT-a, samo se trebate prijaviti preko epošte (emaila). Postoji i dokumentarna serija Doba Uskoka posvećena braniteljima Klisa i svim Uskocima. 

KLIS FORTRESS: WHAT TO SEE AND DO?

If you are able to do so, I would recommend scheduling your arrival during one of the historical fairs and events. If you can't (we didn't either), you can visit the museum inside the fortress itself. There is no charge for visiting the outside of the fortress, so you can enjoy the views free of charge. However, if you want to venture inside the fortress to visit the museum and the church inside, there is a small fee that you need to pay. 

KLIS  TVRĐAVA: ŠTO VIDETI I RADITI?

Ako možete, preporučila bih vam planiranje vašeg dolaska tijekom nekog od povijesnih sajmova i događaja. Ako ne možete (nismo ni mi), možete posjetiti muzej unutar same tvrđave. Posjeta izvan same tvrđave se ne plaća, tako da možete besplatno uživati u pogledima i razgledati tvrđavu izvana. Međutim, ako se želite upustiti u palaču kako biste posjetili muzej i crkvu unutar, postoji mala naknada koju trebate platiti.

WHAT I WORE FOR MY VISIT TO KLIS FOTRESS

I wore a dress by MAK (Croatian designer house that doesn't exist anymore so no link sorry) I borrowed this dress from my mother. She bought it for a special occasion and she doesn't wear it often.  I don't think I ever saw it wear it apart from the special occasion. I think that's a shame so I borrow it occasionally. You know I don't believe in saving dresses for special occasions. You can see how I wore it before here , here and here. I wasn't happy when this fashion house closed because I loved their designs. I was never able to afford them, but I liked them. They used to have a shop near where I lived and it would drive me crazy when I would see the delivery guys carrying the clothes  unceremoniously and sometimes dragging it over the parking lot. I was screaming internally:' Careful with that, can't you see that's silk!' Anyhow, this is one very special dress. This time I decided to wear an oversize scarf with it as a belt to add some colour. I also wore leopard tights and Peko sandals with kitten heels. 

ŠTO SAM NOSILA ZA MOJ POSJET KLIS TVRĐAVI 

Nosila sam haljinu MAK-a (hrvatske dizajnerske kuće koja više ne postoji, pa nema poveznice na nju ), ovu sam haljinu posudila od majke. Kupila ju je za posebnu priliku i ne nosi ju često. Nisam nikada vidjela da ju je nosila osim za tu jednu posebnu priliku. Mislim da je to šteta pa ju povremeno posuđujem. Znate da ne vjerujem u nošenje haljina samo  za posebne prigode. Možete vidjeti kako sam ju prije nosila u poveznicama u tekstu na engleskom. Nisam bila sretna kad se ova modna kuća zatvorila jer sam voljela njihove dizajne. Nikada si ih nisam mogla priuštiti, ali sviđala mi se njihova odjeća. Nekada su imali dućan u blizini gdje sam stanovala i nerviralo bi me kad bih vidjela da dostavljači nose odjeću bez da paze na nju i ponekad ih vuku po parkiralištu. Iznutra sam vikala: "Pažljivo s tim, zar ne vidiš da je to svila!" Svejedno, ovo je jedna vrlo posebna haljina. Ovaj put odlučila sam nositi veliki šareni šal kao pojas, kako bih dodala malo boje. Nosio sam i mrežaste najlonke na leopard uzorak i Peko sandale niskih potpetica.

TRADITIONAL FOLKLORE ATTIRE/COSTUME/UNIFORM OF KLIS GUARD

Traditional folkore uniform of Klis guard consists of four colours: white, red, navy blue and gold. The embroidered white shirt is very typical of Slavic and European folkore, the red vest is decorated with white pearls and the pants are navy blue. The traditional uniform also includes a red coat, a red cap and traditional Croatian shoe knows as opanci. People sometimes ask me about the national attire of Croatia, but the truth is that every village and city has its own. There is a great diversity in Croatian folklore wear, literally hundreds of different designs. When it comes to historical uniforms, some of them are particularly beautiful. As some of you may know, I love folkore and traditional garments, so I decided to include some photographs of Klis fortress  historical uniforms. From what I gathered, their traditional and authentic weapons and uniform still exist today and are proudly worn by a non profit organization of men who also participate in historical festival and promote the culture and the history of the fortress itself. All photographs of the traditional uniform of Klis defenders taken from the official page of Klis Uskoci. For more information, please visit here.

THE VILLAGE KLIS

Klis is also the name of a village that surrounds this fortress. This village is worth a visit as well. Village Klis has its own church, school, cafes and restaurants. The village and the fortress are both located in vicinity of Split city and are but a fifteen minute drive drive away. The village is very peaceful. We actually had a cup of coffee a nearby cafe and it was lovely. 

SELO KLIS

Klis je i ime sela koje okružuje ovu tvrđavu. Ovo je selo također vrijedno posjetiti. Selo Klis ima svoju crkvu, školu, kafiće i restorane. Selo i tvrđava nalaze se u blizini grada Splita i udaljeni su samo petnaest minuta sata vožnje. Selo je jako mirno. Zapravo smo popili kavu u obližnjem kafiću i bilo je lijepo.

THE STRATEGIC LOCATION OF KLIS FORTRESS 

Klis fortress is located on a pass between mountains Mosor and Kozjak, a position of great strategic importance. It also makes it a place that can boost with seriously majestic views. Besides the panorama o Split city, from Klis fortress you can also see the city of Kastela, numerous islands in the Split archipelago (Brac, Hvar, Solta)  as well as mountains Mosor and Kozjak.

HR STRATEŠKA LOKACIJA KLIS TVRĐAVE

Tvrđava Klis nalazi se na prijelazu između planina Mosora i Kozjaka, položaj od velikog strateškog značaja. To ga čini i mjestom koje se može pohvaliti veličanstvenim pogledima. Osim panorame Splita, sa tvrđave Klis možete vidjeti i grad Kaštela,  brojne otoke splitskog arhipelaga (Brač, Hvar, Šolta), kao i planine Mosor i Kozjak.

 This post was very time consuming to write so I hope you find at least something in it to enjoy. Thank you for visiting & reading. / Grazie per la vostra visita e per aver letto!/ Hvala na posjeti i  na čitanju.