UNESCO Roman Palace
Diocletian’s Palace (UNESCO)
Split · Central Dalmatia
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- UNESCO Roman Palace
- COUNTRY
- Croatia
- REGION
- Split · Central Dalmatia
- DURATION
- 2–3 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
Diocletian’s Palace is the Roman building that never died: a walled complex of 215 × 180 metres, its walls up to 26 metres high, built 293–305 as the retirement residence of the emperor who had just abdicated — the only Roman emperor ever to do so voluntarily. Half was a seafront villa, half a garrisoned camp; after Salona fell in the 7th century, townsfolk moved inside and never left. The Peristyle, the imperial court, still anchors the city; the mausoleum of the emperor who persecuted Christians became a cathedral honouring one of his victims; the substructures — the cellars — are among the best-preserved Roman interiors anywhere, and the Egyptian sphinx at the Peristyle is over 3,500 years old.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
Diocletian (r. 284–305) was born near Salona, a few kilometres away; after abdicating on 1 May 305 he retired to the palace built for him on this bay and spent his last years growing vegetables in its gardens. He was entombed in the octagonal mausoleum; when refugees from the destroyed Salona settled in the palace in the 7th century, they consecrated the mausoleum as the cathedral of St Domnius — the bishop Diocletian had martyred — and removed the emperor’s sarcophagus. Medieval Split grew inside the Roman shell; UNESCO inscribed the historic core in 1979, among the very first World Heritage Sites.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The Peristyle and the granite colonnade.
The cathedral-mausoleum and its bell tower (57 m — the climb is the best viewpoint in town).
The cellars below the palace.
The sphinx at the Peristyle and the four Roman gates.
GOOD TO KNOW
Facts & Curiosities
Built 293–305 AD for Diocletian’s retirement — the only Roman emperor to abdicate voluntarily.
Around 3,000 people still live inside the palace walls — a Roman monument in continuous use for 1,700 years.
The mausoleum of Diocletian became the cathedral of St Domnius — often called the oldest Catholic cathedral still in use in its original structure.
UNESCO World Heritage since 1979 — one of the first sites on the list.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
It is the most complete Roman palace in the world — and the only one that is a living city centre.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
THROUGH THE LENS
From the road
MAP & LOCATION
Diocletian’s Palace (UNESCO)
Diocletian’s Palace (UNESCO), Split, Central Dalmatia, Croatia
43.5085, 16.4402
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Split
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Konobas inside the palace lanes — peka and fresh fish
Fine dining in the Peristyle quarter
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Hotels on the Riva and inside the palace walls
Guesthouses in the Varoš quarter below Marjan
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
ROUTES
Routes through here
Central Dalmatia Ride — Zadar to Split via Šibenik and Trogir
The classic Adriatic Highway run through Central Dalmatia — two UNESCO towns, the Šibenik channel, coastal bridges and the long seafront approach to Split.
169 km · 3.5 h · moderate
VIEW ROUTEBiokovo Coast Ride — Split to Ploče via Omiš and Makarska
The most spectacular Adriatic Highway section — the Cetina canyon at Omiš and a hundred kilometres under the Biokovo wall past the Makarska riviera.
151 km · 3.5 h · moderate
VIEW ROUTEPART OF
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