Matejuska Por, Split, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

Matejuška Port is a small fishermen's harbour on the waterfront of Split, Croatia, a short walk from the old town. It is best known as a haunt of the writer Miljenko Smoje, who came here for a glass of wine and for inspiration for his stories. It is also a good spot to see how much the wind shapes life in a Dalmatian port.

The story behind it

Miljenko Smoje was born in Veli Varoš, and he had a gift for finding the extraordinary in ordinary people. He wrote about fishermen, farmers, lamp lighters, wall painters and the misfits that every town has. He often wandered around Matejuška with a cigarette, which he called a španjulet in the Split dialect, looking for material. His greatest fame came from the TV series Naše malo misto and Velo misto, which he wrote from his own books of the same names. They are widely regarded as among the most popular shows in Croatian television history.

The harbour also tells a older story about the sea. Like any port town, Split lived by the weather, and many sailors and fishermen were lost in storms. Before modern forecasts, people relied on sayings to decide whether to go out, and the best known warns you to beware of the clear jugo and the dirty bura. Jugo is the southern wind, linked with low pressure, cloud and rain, and it raises big waves. Bura is the dry northern wind, which brings clear skies, a winter chill and a sea whipped into white foam.

What to look for

• Look at the small boats moored in the harbour, the working heart of a place that Smoje filled with fishermen in his writing.
• Watch the surface of the water: a heavy swell and low cloud point to jugo, while a bright sky and a foam-streaked sea point to bura.
• Notice the everyday life along the quay, where locals stop to talk about the weather, the catch and the news, much like the characters Smoje wrote about.
• Take in the view back along the waterfront toward the old town, which shows how close this working harbour sits to the busy centre of Split.

Tips for your visit

• It is an open waterfront spot, so you can visit at any time, and 15 to 20 minutes is enough for a relaxed look.
• Early morning and the hour before sunset are the calmest and most atmospheric times, with softer light on the water.
• Come on a windy day if you can, since seeing jugo or bura at work makes the old sayings much easier to understand.
• It is a short walk from the Riva and Diocletian's Palace, so it fits easily into a stroll through the centre.

See it on a quest

Landmarks of Split: Discover the 1700 Year Old City brings you to Matejuška on foot as one stop of a longer route through the city. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot, so you look closely at the harbour instead of just passing by. One ticket covers the whole group.

Split Marjan Hill Witch Hunt: Split Best Viewpoints and Panoramic Sights is another way to see Split's waterfront and its viewpoints at your own pace. You walk between places, hear about each one in the app and solve a puzzle where you stand, with no guide and no group to join. One ticket covers the whole group.