Multi-Media Archive of Historical Architecture

With funding from the European Union TEMPUS programme, four Universities have been working collaboratively to develop multi-media tools which help us understand the historical development of settlements and plan future developments which enhance rather than diminish the quality of the visual environment. The context taken for the collaboration was the historic region of Split on the Dalmatian stretch of the Adriatic coast. The Universities involved in the collaboration are the University of Strathclyde, the University of Rome (La Sapienza), the University Polytechnic of Catalunya and the University of Zagreb. The unique character of Split, catalogued by the University of Zagreb and the Split Institute of Urban Planning, owes much to the decision of the Emperor Deocletia to build his Palace on the coast south of Salona - which in the 4th century was the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The Slav invasion of the 6th century drove citizens from Salonia south to Split to found a new city. After being dominated by the Byzantine Empire, Split then enjoyed free commune status, and subsequently became part of the Republic of Venice. After the fall of the Venetian Republic, the fortifications of the small city were demolished and the development of the modern city of Split began