University of Split Library

The founder and first chairman of this library was high school professor Dr. Dušan Manger, who headed the institution until his death in 1940.

In 1905, with the support of the municipality, the library rented new premises on the ground floor of the Illich house on Obala, however, as the number of books grew significantly due to continuous donations, the municipal administration moved it in 1910 to premises on the first floor of the Baroque Bernardi Palace, on Pistura, where was officially opened for visitors in January 1912.

The library continued its work during the Second World War, being the only refuge in the difficult conditions of the occupation where one could speak and read the Croatian language.

At the beginning of 1945, the Library moved to the former premises of the Italian company Gabinetto di lettura on Trg Republike ("Repiblic Square"), from which it took over a valuable fund, full of rare books and manuscripts.

In the same year, by decision of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Croatia, it acquired the right to a compulsory copy of all publications printed in Croatia, so by the 1960s, its collection already contained over 130,000 books and a significant number of periodicals, which is why the building had to be extended.