Diocletian's Palace, A Palace Alive with History and Culture

Diocletian's Palace, Diocletian, Dobri, Manuš, Split, Split Dalmatia, 21101, Croatia

The current underground palace is more like a commercial street

4.2

Introduction

Diocletian's Palace is a palace built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian between AD 295 and AD 305, located in Split, Croatia, covering an area of nearly four hectares. As the residence of Diocletian after his abdication, the palace is a typical representative of Roman imperial autocratic rule, with a strong castle structure and uniform architectural plan crowned with unparalleled prestige. The south of the palace faces the Adriatic Sea, with high walls on the east, west, and north sides for protection, and the palace gate is also in the form of a castle tower. A long row of classical arches was built on the seaside to make the palace more grand. Within the palace city, a cross-shaped avenue intersects at the center, with the sleeping palace and tomb on the south side and the guesthouse and barracks on the north side. The huge arches on both sides of the avenue and the large arch gate in the center of the sleeping palace all give people a sense of unparalleled grandeur and prestige. Although the palace suffered serious damage in the 7th century, the central arch gate still survives to this day. In 1979, the ruins of this Roman imperial palace were listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO, showcasing the typical features of Roman imperial autocratic rule and strong governance in the past.