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Morpurgo Bookstore

 

Morpurgo bookstore is the oldest bookstore in Split. Founded in 1860, it's also one of the oldest bookstores in Europe still operating on same address, in a medieval Venetian Gothic palace. 

Morpurgo bookstore was founded by one of the most prominent people in the history of Split, a publisher, industrial pioneer and culture promoter Vid Morpurgo. He was born in 1838, and left a shining trail behind him. It is engraved on his gravestone at the Old Jewish cemetery on Marjan hill: Exalted in mind, noble in spirit, all his life of intellectual work was dedicated to people's liberation from spiritual and material slavery, and in awakening of people. Founder of the first bookstore, first bank, first factories, was much missed after passing.

 

From the very beginning of its activity, Morpurgo's bookstore was the headquarters of the People's Party, where young intellectuals, amazed by the ideas of the Hrvatski narodni preporod (Croatian National Revival), had their meetings. Morpurgo was an informal organizer and adviser of the People's Party. Morpurgo was involved in initiating the independent Croatian weekly newspaper Narodni list (People's paper).