Diocletian's Palace in Split - UNESCO heritage Croatia

Diocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in SplitDiocletian's Palace in Split

more photos

Close

     
  • Share

Diocletian's Palace was placed on UNESCO'S list of world heritage sights. It is one of the best preserved sights of Roman architecture in the world. The emperor's palace was built between the years 295 and 305 a.d. as a combination of luxurious villas and roman military camps (castruma), divided into four sections by two main streets. The south side of the palace was intended for the emperor and the north side for the imperial army, servants and storage areas. It was built out of stone from the island of Brac, and decorative details such as the sphinx, marble, and sculpted decorations were brought from Egypt, Italy, and Greece.

Considering that the palace was distanced 6km from the closest city (Salona), it was surrounded by 16 stone walls. There were four entrances into the palace, three from land and one by sea. The south side looking onto the sea (where in the time of the emperor Diocletian the sea splashed into the palace itself), it had less openings and doors than the east and west side, which were similar and undecorated. The northern entrance with double doors was the main entrance into the palace. Of the two main roads (cardo and decumanus), cardo leads to the peristyle (the open square in front of the emperors chambers). On the left had side was the emperors mausoleum (today St. Dujam's Cathedral), and on the right hand side were three temples. The main temple was the temple of Jupiter (which is preserved) and the other two Kibel and Venus. The vestibule today still looks fantastic. This foyer of the emperors’ chambers once had a great dome, and even up to half a century ago was inhabited.

Buildings of different historical eras and styles were very well preserved, such as Diocletian's palace which kept its core preserved until today. Over time the palace was transformed into a city, where objects such as the emperors’ mausoleum were converted into a cathedral. The cathedra was initially dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but by the end of the Middle Ages was renamed to the martyr of Salona and patron saint of Split - Sv. Dujam. Diocletian's palace may be one of the only cultural monuments in the world in which people still live. The well preserved Peristyle, Diocletian's mausoleum, the temple of Jupiter, early Christian churches, Romanesque houses, works of the sculptor Juraj Dalmatinac and many other monuments testify to the rich history of this city.

See more  Close 

Guest reviews


0/0
Descriptions on the web page are subject to changes. Your commentary helps us update the texts. Thank you in advance!
View on map View on map
FIND ACCOMMODATION
Check in
Check out
Adults 18+
Children 0-17

Diocletian's Palace in Split - Recommended accommodation

* prices for June 2025 based on the maximum capacity for a minimum stay of 7 days

  • Split,
  • Persons: 1-4
  • Guests rating: 4.7
  • Most recent reservation 45 minutes ago
  • Split,
  • Persons: 1-2
  • Guests rating: 5.0
  • Most recent reservation 13 days ago
  • Split,
  • Persons: 1-2
  • Guests rating: 4.8
  • Most recent reservation 8 days ago
Apartment - Split Apartments Urban From 90 €
  • Split,
  • Persons: 1-2
  • Guests rating: 4.7
  • Most recent reservation 8 days ago

The best of Croatia delivered to your inbox!

Members of
Croatian National Tourist Board
Association of Croatian travel agencies
Travelife - Sustainability in tourism
Secure payment HTZ

eu logo
Hamag Bicro logo

All rights reserved © 2024