In 1420, Split came under the control of the Republic of Venice, whose rule would influence the city’s development for nearly four centuries, until 1797. A key architectural legacy from this period is the castello built in the western part of the former harbour. Its Great Tower, the almost sole surviving part of the castle, still dominates the cityscape and stands at the heart of the old town on Fruit Square (Voćni trg), in the immediate vicinity of the Riva.
The central tower – the Great Tower (Torre Grande, as it appears in Italian sources) or Turiun/Torjun (from the Latin torre, meaning tower), as it was known to the people of Split, is the best-preserved part of the castello. Its connection with the prison reflects its security and defensibility, and it is likely that the Tower had served as a prison from the time it was built, continuing in that role into the late 15th century.