Pleter is a type of geometric decoration made of a series of rods that form shapes like waves and braids. This decoration appears in ancient times when it had the function of a frame, and in the pre-Romanesque period from the 8th to the 11th century, entire surfaces began to be decorated with braid. Pleter was the most common on stone surfaces, and it occurs most often in the area of Croatia and northern and central Italy.
Croatian pleter is also called "troplet" because it looks like a braid of three strips, less often of two or just one strip. This decoration is characteristic of Croatian culture and art. It first appeared as an ornament in ancient Croatian churches, and later it was used to decorate works of art, coats of arms, ceremonial charters, and over time it became an ornament on clothes, furniture and the like. Pleter can be found on many Croatian monuments of great historical and artistic importance, such as: Višeslav's baptistiery Bašćanska ploča, Split cathedral baptistiery, inscriptions of princes Branimir and Mutimir, inscription of King Držislav, etc.
Pleter is considered a Croatian national symbol, which is why the decorations of the Order of the Croatian Cross, the insignia of the Croatian Army, the coat of arms of the police, the official police uniform, and it also appears as a motif on traditional Croatian jewelry. The memorial cross at the confluence of the Vuka River and the Danube in Vukovar is also decorated with a pleter motif.
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