Villa Dalmatia or Tito's Villa in Split

Split is the second biggest city in Croatia and the largest city in the Dalmatia region. Located on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, the town of Split is spread over a central peninsula. Split is not only a popular tourist destination, but it is also a popular wedding destination for couples all over Croatia owing to the natural beauty of the town.

There are many famous and very much in-demand locations for weddings and celebrations in Split, out of which the Dalmatia Villa, also known as Tito's Villa, is one of the most popular destinations. In addition, the Villa Dalmatia is one of the few locations in Croatia to have a private beach and where you can play music until 3:00 a.m.

Nestled in the heart of the Marjan Hill Forest Park along the majestic Adriatic Coast of Split, the Villa Dalmacija or Tito's Villa is a magnificent seaside chateau. This property was built in 1914 by Czech entrepreneur Franjo Schiller, due to which he originally called this place the Villa Schiller. However, within two years of the ending of World War II in 1947, Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito noticed this beautiful villa during a visit to Split and immediately decided to nationalize the villa for his personal use. It was then that the residential property was given a new name - Vila Dalmacija.

Many people say that ex-President Tito chose the magnificent Marjan Hill as the ideal place for his residence in Split because, during World War II, one of his favorite wartime tunes was the Partisan song 'Marjane, Marjane,' which was about the Marjan Hill. However, unfortunately, there is not much information available about the time Tito spent here in the Split villa. For example, there is no information about how often he visited the villa or how long he stayed here. Nevertheless, this villa is considered to be a 'hot spot of communist elite' in Split.

Tito's Villa was also of great strategic importance for Tito since there was a huge network of defensive bunkers and underground tunnels constructed near to the villa. Even today, there are many photos and maps of the tunnels available with the municipality offices in Split.

After the death of Tito, the Villa Dalmatia started to slowly deteriorate as it was used less and less. Nevertheless, in the post-Tito era, there was one major event that took place in this villa. In March 1991, the first meeting between the leaders Slobodan Milosevic, Alija Izetbegovic, and Franjo Tudman was held in the Tito Villa to discuss how to avoid war across the entire former Yugoslav region.

It was only after the end of the Yugoslav Wars that the Villa Dalmatia began to be used for hosting marriages and special events. In fact, today, this villa has become one of the most exclusive wedding venues in all of Split.

Recently, there have been reports that the city of Split is working towards increasing accessibility to this beautiful villa. In addition, the villa was used as a shooting location for season 5 of the hit television show Game of Thrones.