Loyal fans of the iconic Game of Thrones series have repeatedly re-watched the scenes in which the beautiful “mother of dragons,” Daenerys Targaryen, invades the city of Meereen in the scenic Slaver’s Bay. Together with her army of the Unsullied, she besieges the fortress and gazes at the conquered lands from a bird’s eye view. The fortress of the fictional city of Meereen in the iconic series is an actual ancient fortress, which still floats above the town of Klis, just a few kilometers from the popular resort of Split.

The earliest defensive fortifications within the area of the Klis Fortress were built in the first centuries BC by the ancient Illyrian tribes. Then the Romans contributed to the strengthening of the fortress. By the 7th century AD, the mighty stone citadel came under the Kingdom of Croatia. From this time, the town began flourishing. At the beginning of the 9th century, Klis became an important trade center. The fortress belonged to the founder of the Croatian Trpimirovic dynasty, Prince Trpimir I, and for many centuries remained the property of his descendants. Only in the 15th century, despite all the citizens' efforts to protect the Klis Fortress, it was taken by the Ottoman Turks. For more than 110 years, it remained under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Simultaneously, the neighboring lands of the city of Split belonged to the Republic of Venice. All this time, the Venetians repeatedly tried to get hold of the ancient citadel. After the victory over the Ottomans, they strengthened and expanded its borders. Today’s travelers see the fortress just like the Venetians redesigned it. Despite the devastating destruction during World War II, the Croatian government managed to restore mighty stone walls, preserve the legacy of the ancestors for future generations, even as a fabulous setting for popular TV series and films as the famous Game of Thrones fantasy drama.