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The palace was originally built between 295 and 305 AD and was huge. Today you can still see the remains of it which make Split old town so special. I really liked checking out the narrow alleys and the squares in this area.
Unfortunately, a lot of tourists concentrate in this area especially if the cruise ships are in town. So if you stay overnight, make sure you visit later at night.
If you are interested you can visit the old catacombs (entrance fee), the Peristil (where sometimes concerts are held), the cathedral Sv. Duje from the 6-7th century which used to house the mausoleum of Diocletian.
Further we visited the Porta Aurea (Golden Gate) and the Porta Agenta. Leave a Comment
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Is there another city in the world with such a unique heart? Split's Stari Grad is the only one I know of that is actually built within the walls of a Roman emperor's palace.
Long before sun-seeking 21st century tourists decided that the Adriatic coast of Croatia was a little piece of Paradise, Dalmatian-born Diocletian, decided a summer palace in his home territory was just what he needed, and a site near the Roman city of Salona, (now a ruin on the outskirts of Split) was just the place. Roman emperors being given to notions of grandeur, the palace he built was sufficiently splendid for him to decide he would retire there, and he then went a step further and built a magnificent mausoleum for himself within the walls. Successive emperors made use of the palace for the next couple of hundred years but it gradually fell into abandoned decay before time, and invading tribes from the north, saw the palace become a refuge for the citizens of Salona in 615. They took over the grand apartments of the nobility, the kitchens, the stables and all the other supporting areas of the old palace and gradually subsumed the crumbling grandeur into the warren of an early mediaeval city.
Whilst most of Diocletian's palace is now lost in the maze of narrow streets and houses that cram the old city, there is still plenty of evidence of its Roman origins to be seen as you explore the area within the walls.
Guided tours are offered but, for my money, the greatest pleasure is to be had exploring the narrow street and alleyways on your own. It's small enough for you not to get truly lost but you will surely lose yourself in time as you wander through the deeply shaded streets and brightly sunlit squares, the stone pavement polished by centuries of passersby beneath your feet. All around you the city's history is written on the walls, in courtyards and privates places
glimpsed through dorways. Roman brick and marble sit side by side with mediaeval stone, the palaces of once-great families back onto crammed-together shops and houses. Upper storey windows open onto rooftop vistas and a climb to the top of the belltower gives you a
bird's eye view of the whole city. Leave a Comment Directions: Look out for the large posters on the Riva (the sea-side promenade) that show how the palace looked in its heyday.
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 Detail from Carrarina
poljana by diocletianvs
Carrarina poljana is quite a big square in north-eastern quadrant of the former Palace. It is not surrounded by rich palaces but offers a quick view into a typical group of old houses. There are some nice cafes on the ground floor, and in the summer evenings it is one of the places where plays are played during the Split Summer Festival. The area provides the original scenography of the typical mediterranean groups of houses. Leave a Comment Directions: On Carrarina Poljana there’s a small passageway on its south-eastern corner. If you go through you’ll find yourself in a street running parallel to the eastern walls – continue walking untill you reach the Eastern gate. Website: http://www.st.carnet.hr/split/diokl.html
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The Peristil was the palace's main courtyard and meeting place. As it was in Roman times, so it is today when the Peristil is still the hub of the old city. This was where the Emperor would make his public appearances. With two lovely arched colonnades along its length and the great domed gateway (the Vestibule) that was the main entrance to the palaces private Imperial quarters, you can imagine just how spendid it must have looked in Roman times.
The courtyard is dominated by the Cathedral and Bell Tower. Whilst the tower is a mere seven to eight hundred years old, the Cathedral itself is a thousand years older than that. It was built during Diocletian's lifetime to be his mausoleum. Even older is the granite Sphynx that still stands guard here. It was seventeen hundred years old when Diocletian brought it (and its pair, now in the Archaeological Museum) from Egypt to guard his tomb.
The small Crkvica Sv Roka (Chapel of St Rocco) beside the cathedral dates from the 16thC. It is used now as the tourist information office.
I'm looking forward to visiting the Luxor Cafe opposite the Cathedral again. It's built into what was first part of the Roman colonnade, then a Renaissance Palace. With an architectural pedigree like that, you just have to have at least one drink there whilst you're in Split. Leave a Comment
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 The Silver Gates by diocletianvs
Eastern Gates (known as the Silver Gates) are similar to Northern (Golden) Gates, but somewhat less representative. They were reconstructed and even closed during the centuries – that’s why there’s a smaller passage on their northern side that was opened in 18th Century. The defense courtyard and inner doors aren’t there any more, and Silver Gates today show the transparency of the original openings of the walls.
If you pass through you can see the eastern walls that are also well preserved. The only thing is, you’ll have to try harder because the view is usually blocked by kiosks of the open air market. Leave a Comment
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 Old fountain by diocletianvs
Northern Part of the Palace is still well preserved in its medieval urban structure. Here you’ll find people still living in the old picturesque houses. In this part of the Palace you’ll also find some of the very popular small cafes and shops selling souvenirs and original crafts.
This is also the area to wander a little bit around since it offers small hidden treasures that don’t have big names and weren’t built by famous builders. Like this small fountain that once provided fresh water to the surrounding houses. Leave a Comment
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 by diocletianvs
Small streets and passages that were built parallel to the main streets of the Palace provide excellent shortcuts for the locals during the summer since most of the tourists only walk along the former lines of Cardo and Decumanus.
Of course – one needs to know these passages since very often you will feel like there’s no way out or like you’re entering someone’s house. Leave a Comment
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 View at the southern facade of
the Palace by diocletianvs
South-Eastern corner tower is the only preserved tower on the southern façade of the Palace – the South-Western was demolished. It is original only up untill the second floor, with the flat terrace on top of it. The interior was greatly modified at the time the tower belonged to the complex of Archbishop’s palace. The windows are closed today, but their shape is still wisible on the walls.
Originally, the southern façade was the sea side of the Palace – the area was land-filled later in order to create a wide promenade – today popular Riva, with many cafes and terraces. There was a corridor running along this façade on the first floor, connecting all the Emperor’s rooms and providing the walkway with nice views to the sea and the nearby islands. On the ground floor there were small gates that provided direct access to the boats.
Today this façade is quite modified, but if you look above the sunshields of the café terraces you’ll see that the buildings that were built during the history of the transformation of the palace were built between the original columns and collonades.
People still live here, enjoying the views old Diocletian once reserved for himself.
(Mediterranean) Life goes on….. Leave a Comment Directions: I know it’s time for coffee now but I suggest we finish this tour by visiting substructures of the Palace. You’ll find passage leading there somewhere in the middle of the southern wall.Website: http://www.st.carnet.hr/split/diokl.html
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The street leading to the Silver gate from the Peristil was the Decumanus, the main east-west street that crossed the Cardo Maximus, the original north-south street, at the centre of the palace.
As in all Roman cities, these two streets divided the palace into quadrants, each with its own purpose. The south-east quadrant was the private domain of the Emperor. Across the Decamanus, in the the north-east quadrant, could be found the palace's guards and soldiery.
The south-west quadrant was devoted to the gods - three temples once stood here - and the final quadrant, the north-western area was most probably reserved for administrative and domestic purposes.
Whilst the area south of the Decamanus has a lot of evidence of the palace, in the area to the north of the street, later building has all but completely subsumed any Roman remains. This part of the city is a maze of narrow streets, some so narrow you must walk in single file. Families live here, and cafes and little shops abound. You'll find beautiful Renaissance palaces with gracious courtyards and tiny houses with washing strung over your head. Keep your eyes open for lovely architectural features such as balconies and windows, coats of arms and staircases Leave a Comment
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 Cathedral lion, w/ Peristyle
ruins in background by acemj
Unfortunately, the "palace" is not exactly a recognizable structure anymore, but there are some great sights set amongst the narrow alleys and more recent architectural additions.
From the waterfront side (the Riva) you can enter through the Bronze Gate to some interesting subterranean halls, that today, are lined mostly with souvenir stands. When you emerge from underground, you'll enter into the Peristyle, a large courtyard flanked by the Cathedral. From here, there are more ruins from over the centuries, but the Peristyle courtyard is certainly the heart of the palace.
For more details of specific sights, check out VT member diocletianvs's page. Leave a Comment
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