More than just a collection of tattered old ruins, this protected complex provides a up-close look at the richly-layered history of Split.
The heart of the city lies within the massive walls of the palace, a splendid third- century structure combining the qualities of an imperial villa and a Roman garrison. Rectangular in plan, this monumental edifice measures approximately 215 m by 180 m, with walls 2 m thick and 25 m high. Each of the four outer walls bears a gate: Zlatna Vrata (Golden Gate), Željezna Vrata (Iron Gate), Srebrena Vrata (Silver Gate) and Mjedna Vrata (Bronze Gate). Originally, there were two main streets: the Decumanus, a transversal street running east-west from Srebrena Vrata to Vrata, and the Cardo, a longitudinal street running from the main entrance, Zlatna Vrata. Both streets were colonnaded, and intersected at the central public meeting space, Peristil. On the east side of Peristil lay the mausoleum, and on the west, Jupiter’s Temple. Diocletian’s imperial apartments were located on the south side of the palace, overlooking the sea, while the servants’ and soldiers’ quarters overlooked the main land entrance. The stone used to build the palace came from the nearby quarries of Brač and Trogir, while the architects themselves may well have originated from the east – the names Filotas and Zotikos have been found, engraved in Greek within the palace walls.
From the early Middle Ages onwards, new buildings were erected within the palace, so that the original Roman layout has been largely obscured. The first detailed plans and drawings of how it must have once looked were published in 1764, by the Scottish neoclassical architect, Robert Adam, in The Ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalato in Dalmatia. Adam, who is generally regarded as the greatest British architect of the 18th century, was fascinated by the scale and quality of Diocletian’s building projects, and stayed in Split for five weeks in 1757 to investigate the palace. By asking permission to enter people’s houses and inspecting their walls, he managed to trace the original Roman structure through the medieval buildings. No easy task – the Venetian governor of the time suspected the Scot of spying and nearly had him deported. Fortunately Adam completed his research, and the space and symmetry of Diocletian’s Palace is said to have inspired some of his greatest buildings, which in turn became models for neoclassical architects throughout Europe....
more Diocletian’s Palace and the historic centre photos
