Trilj

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 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. At the top of the hill of Gardun, just south of Trilj, remains of a legionary fortress at Tilurium can be found. Tilurium guarded the entrance to the Cetina valley from the south and the approach to the provincial capital of Salona. 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 and leads to Bosnia. The first written record of this fortification dates to 1371. 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.