The Klis Fortress (Croatian: Tvrđava Klis) is a medieval fortress that sits on a hill above the village of Klis, near Split, Croatia. It was first built as a small stronghold, but by the 9th century A.D., it had grown into a royal castle that was the seat of many Croatian kings and noble rulers.
In the 16th century, after the Ottomans conquered it, it developed into a fully-fledged fortress and had major strategic value as a line of defense. A bit over a decade later, it lost its main strategic value and was abandoned as a permanent military outpost by the 19th century.
Kils fortress is located on a hill in between the mountains Kozjak and Mosor. It lies about 11 kilometers (just under 7 miles) from the Adriatic Sea at an altitude of about 360 meters (just under 1200 feet), overlooking the city of Split.
This position gave it strategic value as a defensive fortress, which it held for many decades. The ancient Illyrian tribe of Dalmatae chose this location for their stronghold around the 3rd century B.C. They were the first inhabitants to live on the spot, and their stronghold developed into the Kils Fortress as we know it today.
In the 1st century A.D., the Romans annexed the fortress and ruled over it until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476. During the Roman rule over Klis, the fortress proved to be in a very strong and unreachable defensive position. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the fortress was ruled by Barbarians for a short period and was later a part of the Byzantine Empire until the arrival of Avars and Slavs in 614.
In the 7th century, the Croats drove out the Avars and took control of the fortress. Klis Fortress immediately became a very important stronghold for Croats and, very soon, a seat for many Croatian kings, all the way until the 12th century. From the 12th century on, many Croatian noble families ruled over the fortress until 1537, when the Ottomans conquered it.
The Ottomans ruled over the fortress from 1537 until 1648, with a short break in 1596 when the Uskoks took command of the fortress, but it was soon surrendered back to the Ottomans in the same year. In 1648, the Venetians took over, and by the end of the 18th century, Klis fortress had lost its main strategic weight. Soon afterwards, while the Austrians ruled over it, it was no longer used as a permanent military outpost.
The fortress itself is built into a rocky mass; it’s made mostly of limestone and features three rectangular defensive lines, surrounded by double walls on the outskirts.
Klis fortress features several towers and only one entrance point. Despite its very rich history, today it is best known as the filming location of the HBO series Game of Thrones; it was used as a location for the fictional city of Meereen in the series.
While visiting Split, the best way to visit Klis Fortress and learn more about it is by going on a guided tour of the fortress. The tours are readily available throughout the year. To get more information about the tour, click here.
