Republic Square

Republic Square, or Prokurative, frames the western side of the Riva with three rows of deep red, neoclassical arches. It operates as a grand outdoor stage, designed to mimic the aesthetics of Venice in the nineteenth century. Architect Josip Slade built these loggias to draw the city’s social life away from the ancient palace walls and into a more modern, structured space. During the early nineteen hundreds, Antonio Bajamonti held massive public banquets here, hoping to turn Split into a Mediterranean cultural capital.