Ever wondered what Split looked like in 1934?
The Jugoslovenska Kinoteka (Yugoslav Film Archive) is the national film archive of the Republic of Serbia founded in 1949. The organization aims to “collect, process, preserve and show domestic and foreign feature, documentary, animated films and film newsreels, as well as other materials significant for the history of cinematography.” On April 3, 2018, Jugoslovenska Kinoteka’s YouTube page released quite an interesting film of Split in 1934, filmed from a biplane over the Dalmatian capital.
The video, titled “Under the Yugoslav Sky – 1934 Panorama of Split from Above”, is striking in black and white. A very high-quality recording of that time, the film exhibits many of Split’s famous landmarks. For starters, boats still crowded the sea by the Riva, which was, of course, lined by palm trees. The famous Marko Marulić statue can be seen in a busy Fruit Square, in front of Milesi palace. The 4th-century Diocletian’s Palace stands proud as the city’s centerpiece, and Ivan Meštrović’s monument to Gregory of Nin can be found at the nucleus to Peristyle – which is far less busy than we are used to seeing today.
The video ends with the Archeological Museum in Split, displaying the many sculptures and figures from the Greek and Roman period.
The alleyways in Split’s core still bustled with bodies, and recognizable signs reading ‘Pharmacy’ make it seem like Split wasn’t really so different 84 years ago.
Take a look below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=3UXLOU6jlWE
