Zrinsko-Frankopanska 25
The Archaeological Museum in Split is
the oldest museum in Croatia, founded in 1820 by a decree of the
Dalmatian government in Zadar. The first director was the physician
and archaeologist Frano Lanza. The original museum building stood
along the east walls of Diocletian's Palace. Today's museum building
was built in 1912-1914. Since 1878, the Museum has been publishing
the first archaeological journal, entitled Bullettino di archeologia
e storia dalmata (Journal of Dalmatian Archeology and History).
The museum preserves about 150,000 archaeological monuments and
artifacts, one part of which is presented through a permanent
exhibition. The museum has a valuable collection of archaeological
objects from prehistory, from the time of Greek colonization of the
Adriatic, the Roman and early Christian periods and the early Middle
Ages.
The museum conducts systematic archaeological research
at the sites in Salona and Issa, and has a handy collection and the
site of Salona as well as a handy collection of Issa in the building
of Our Lady of the Battery and the site of the same name in the town
of Vis.
From 1884, the long-time director of the museum was
Don Frane Bulić.
The Archaeological Museum building is a
protected cultural asset.