Klis is a settlement nearly situated in Split hinterland.
Klis is a settlement nearly situated in Split hinterland. Klis fortress was erected on a strategic location allowing military and commercial control over the Klis valley as well as the area of Salona and Split. Due to its strategic importance, Klis was oftentimes referred to as the key to Dalmatia and the heart of the medieval Croatian kingdom. The fortress consists of two parts: the western lower part and the eastern higher part, where the tower of Oprah – the most important medieval stronghold of the fortress – proudly stands. Numerous structures have been partly or fully preserved in today’s Klis fortress, originating mostly from Venetian and Austrian periods. The fortress itself consists of three enclosed parts with separate entrances. The first or main entrance was built by the Austrians in the 1920s at the same site where an old entrance from the Venetian period used to be. The second one served as a fortress gate during medieval times, and was significantly damaged in the siege of 1648. This particular entrance was fully restored by the Venetians, and it owns its present appearance to Austrian rule of 1920s. The remaining third entrance was built in the Middle Ages and was restored several times by the Venetians until the mid-18th century. The very last extension dates from 1763. Almost fully preserved church of St Vitus (Sv. Vid) stands in the third defensive ring of the Klis fortress. As one of the best preserved fortresses witnessing the turbulent Dalmatian past, Klis fortress gained its glory by shortly becoming the town of Meereen in the popular TV-series ‘The Game of Thrones’. An evergrowing number of tourists and fans visit Klis fortress every year to enjoy the same view as ‘the Mother of Dragons’.
