Cambio Castle

Cambio Castle, locally known as Kaštel Cambio, lies in the town of Kaštel Kambelovac, in the county of Split-Dalmatia in Croatia.

After Bosnia fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1463, Dalmatia, part of the Venetian Republic, faced the risk of Ottoman invasion. Local landowners, the Split Archbishopric, monasteries, and nobles from Trogir and Split sought to protect their estates and the villagers who worked for them. Over the following decades, they began building 17 fortifications and fortified 12 villages along the coast of Kaštela Bay, between Trogir and Split.

Cambio Castle was one such fortification. In 1478, the brothers Jerolimu and Antonu Cambio received permission from the Venetian authorities in Split to build a fortification. Their structure, a round tower connected to a rectangular fortified courtyard, was first mentioned in 1491. It was built on a small islet and linked to the mainland by a drawbridge.

In later centuries, the sea around the castle was filled in, and a village grew up nearby. The castle was converted into a residence for the Cambio family.

Today, only the tower and what appears to be a corner of the former courtyard remain. A nearby village gate also survives. The tower of Cambio Castle stands mostly empty, with the structures beside it now serving as private residences. It remains a curious castle remnant.

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