Architecture of Croatia
Venetian-styled Dubrovnik
Croatia's oldest still standing architecture is from
the Roman times. The two best examples from this time are the Pula Arena in Pula
and Diocletian's Palace in Split. The arena was built in about year 0, while
the palace was built about 300 years later. The palace however has mostly been destroyed,
however many walls and buildings still remain. Over time new buildings have been
put up in the space, including structures in Romanesque, Renaissance, and Baroque
styles.
Through the next millennium most of the architecture introduced in
Croatia was church architecture or fortifications, primarily consisting
of stone and Romanesque structures. The Euphrasian Basilica in Porec is a great
example of early Christian (300s) church architecture as are many of the churches
and buildings in Trogir.
The crown jewel of Croatia is the city of Dubrovnik and
its beginnings as a sea power date to the 1200s when Gothic architecture was common
in Croatia. Much of the city's architecture is from this time period (although
it has been reconstructed since the Balkan Wars), however today many of the buildings
have Renaissance or Baroque facades along with a couple churches in each of these
styles.