Trilj () is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and
settlement in inland
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
,
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
. It is located northeast of
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, enter ...
. In 2021, its population was 8182.
Trilj was a traffic hub in
Roman times
In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingd ...
, when a stone bridge ''Pons Tilurium'' was built on the
Cetina River
The Cetina () is a river in southern Croatia. It has a length of and its basin covers an area of . From its source, Cetina descends from an elevation of above sea level to the Adriatic Sea. It is the most water-rich river in Dalmatia.Naklada Nap ...
. A
7th Roman legion military camp called
Tilurium
Tilurium was an ancient settlement and military site located at Gardun above the modern town of Trilj in Croatia. Originally an Illyrian hill-fort of the Delmatae tribe, it later became a major Roman legionary fortress and continued as a fort ...
was built on a hill above, at the crossroads of Roman roads leading from
Salona
Salona (, ) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia and near to Split, in Croatia. It was one of the largest cities of the late Roman empire with 60,000 inhabitants. It was the last residence of the final western ...
to
Narona and
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
.
History
In the area of Trilj there are many archaeological findings dating way back to Mesolithic. The first ethnic group that inhabited this area are the Illyrian tribe
Delmatae. They lived in a hill forts along the communication lines that connected their capital
Delminium with the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
coast. A hundred and fifty years of fierce fighting against the Romans (165 BC – 9 AD) ended in defeat of Delmati people, after which Romans built the legionary fortress Tilurium.
Roman legionary fortress Tilurium
At the top of the hill of
Gardun, just south of Trilj, remains of a
legionary
The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius''; : ''legionarii'') was a citizen soldier of the Roman army. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the Republic and Principate eras, alongside auxiliary and c ...
fortress at
Tilurium
Tilurium was an ancient settlement and military site located at Gardun above the modern town of Trilj in Croatia. Originally an Illyrian hill-fort of the Delmatae tribe, it later became a major Roman legionary fortress and continued as a fort ...
can be found. Tilurium guarded the entrance to the
Cetina
The Cetina () is a river in southern Croatia. It has a length of and its basin covers an area of . From its source, Cetina descends from an elevation of above sea level to the Adriatic Sea. It is the most water-rich river in Dalmatia.Naklada Nap ...
valley from the south and the approach to the provincial capital of
Salona
Salona (, ) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia and near to Split, in Croatia. It was one of the largest cities of the late Roman empire with 60,000 inhabitants. It was the last residence of the final western ...
.
[Smith, D., Gaffney, V., Grossman, D., Howard, A.J., Milosevic, A., Ostir, K., Podobnikar, T., Smith, W., Tetlow, E., Tingle, M., and Tinsley, H. 2006. Assessing the later prehistoric environmental archaeology and landscape development of the Cetina Valley, Croatia. ''Environmental Archaeology'' 11 (2): 171-186]
Čačvina fortress
Fort Čačvina is a fortification that guarded approach from Bosnia during the wars with the Ottomans. It is situated from the town at an altitude of in a strategic location enabling its crew to oversee traffic of goods through the mountain passage that goes through the
Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern Europe, Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia ...
and leads to Bosnia. The first written record of this fortification dates to 1371.
Nutjak fortress
Fort Nutjak is situated on a cliff by the Cetina. The fortress was built in the 15th century by nobleman Žarko Dražojević to protect the land west of the river from Ottoman invasion.
Population
The total population of the municipality in 2011 was 9,109, with 2,076 in Trilj itself and the rest in small villages. The list of settlements was as follows:
*
Bisko, population 395
*
Budimiri
Budimiri is a settlement in the City of Trilj in Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hu ...
, population 106
*
Čačvina, population 93
*
Čaporice, population 389
*
Gardun, population 83
*
Grab, population 546
*
Jabuka, population 306
*
Kamensko, population 107
*
Košute, population 1,740
*
Krivodol, population 2
*
Ljut, population 5
*
Nova Sela, population 139
*
Podi, population 13
*
Rože, population 32
*
Strizirep, population 31
*
Strmendolac, population 181
*
Tijarica, population 374
* Trilj, population 2,076
*
Ugljane, population 398
*
Vedrine, population 851
*
Velić, population 288
*
Vinine, population 24
*
Vojnić Sinjski, population 577
*
Voštane, population 42
*
Vrabač, population 218
*
Vrpolje
Vrpolje () is a naselje, village and a municipality in Brod-Posavina County, Croatia. It is located 10 km south of Đakovo; elevation 90 m.
Demographics
In 2021, the municipality had 2,818 residents in the following 3 settlements:
*Čajkovc ...
, population 93
Culture
Trilj Museum
Museum was found in 1996 for the purpose of presentation of artifacts from nearby archaeological site (Roman legionary fortress Tilurium). Along with archaeological artifacts in a part of the museum ethnographic collection from Trilj and surrounding area is presented.
Tourism
Trilj and surrounding area are popular tourist area, becoming more popular on annual basis. The area has rich history and offers great opportunities for outdoor activities and adventure Holidays. Surrounding is dominated, on one side by Cetina river that is very diverse with white waters and calm parts, and by mountains of dinaric alps on the other side. Some of the activities include Cetina river fishing, canoeing, rafting, canyoning, horseback riding, cycling, and hiking.
References
External links
Trilj - Portal of Town Trilj(in Croatian)
(in Croatian)
{{Coord, 43, 37, N, 16, 43, E, region:HR_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title
Cities and towns in Croatia
Populated places in Split-Dalmatia County