Crazy about Croatia — Postcard from Split #2

Split is home to Diocletian’s Palace which is an ancient palace built for — wait for it — yep, a guy named Diocletian. He happened to be the emperor of Rome at the start of the fourth century AD. The site is quite the tourist draw, but it is actually more of a village than a palace as there are a number of structures within the outer walls. The structures inside were originally intended for about half for Diocletian’s personal use and half for the military. Currently, the buildings are used by the locals for their personal residence but also for hotels, restaurants, and retail shops. We had a map that provided an overview of the street-by-street layout with some history to help guide us through the maze. We spent a good half day in the “palace” with hundreds of our closest friends. It was an impressive structure and well worth the exploration.

A church right outside the Golden Gate (the most architecturally elaborate entrance) to the palace

A drawing of the original structure of the palace

The St. George sculpture just outside the Golden Gate — supposedly good luck to touch his feet

The Peristil, the central courtyard where Diocletian would appear to be worshipped as the son of Jupiter

Terrace off of Diocletian’s Mausoleum and Cathedral

Inside Diocletian’s Cathedral — the palace is free to enter but there is a charge to enter the Cathedral/mausoleum and bell tower as well as the Temple of Jupiter

Another view inside the Diocletian cathedral

The bell tower to the cathedral — we did not pay to go up

Stairs that would become seating for a bar later in the day

Stairs converted to bar seating in the palace

A band playing, and selling, Dalmatian music

After completing our tour of the palace, Bob and I strolled along Marmontova, the pedestrian street, and surrounding area. This is just a few blocks from the palace.