Location of Maggiore

You are standing right in the place that was the brain and heart of the defense of Dalmatia – the Maggiore position on the Klis fortress. The name Maggiore comes from the Italian word for “chief”, and it is no coincidence – from this place the entire fortress was commanded and every movement of the enemy was monitored. The Maggiore position was much more than an ordinary guardhouse. Equipped with cannons and thick stone walls, it had special rooms for commanders and soldiers. From this point, the view opens onto the Klis plain, the mountains and the coast, allowing the enemy to be spotted in time and the defense to be organized quickly. At a time when sieges could last for months, the Maggiore was crucial for the survival of the defenders. In the 16th century, during the fiercest battles with the Ottomans, it was here that Petar Kružić and his Uskoks led a defense that withstood a superior enemy for decades. Every cannon fired from the Maggiore could change the course of the battle. After Kružić's death and the fall of the fortress in 1537, the Uskoks took the keys of the fortress with them to Senj, where they are still preserved as a historical memory. The architecture of Maggiore is adapted to the irregular shape of the rock on which the fortress stands. The walls are thick, and the ramparts reach a height of nine meters. An arched passage passes under the position that leads to the eastern part of the fortress, which allowed for safe communication even under siege. In the northwest corner there is a large gunpowder storehouse, built by the Austrians in the 19th century - another proof of how important this place was in later periods. One interesting fact that you may not have known: Klis Fortress was not only a military center, but also a place where quarantine facilities were located during epidemics in the past, which protected Split from diseases coming from the interior.