Highlights of Split, Split, Croatia

For the first part of our adventure in Croatia we were based in Split. We budgeted only a single day for exploring the town, but we also returned to the city core every evening for 5 nights, so by the end of that stay we could plausibly claim a pretty intimate familiarity with this great town.

The historic center of Split is anchored by the area known as the Diocletian’s Palace. Built for the Roman emperor of that name in the early 4th century AD, it was even then more of a whole town than just a palace, with the emperor’s quarters taking about half of the vast structure. Nowadays, the walls largely remain, and a number of buildings can trace their ancestry to the original palace grounds. It is one of the oldest inscribed places on the World Heritage list, achieving the status in 1979.

Our apartment in Split was located a stone throw from the Silver Gate, which served as our main entry point to the historic center.

Close by is the main palace court, Peristyle, which over the centuries blended influences of different architectural schools into an eye-catching ensemble.

The tower dates from the 12th century, while the cathedral has been consecrated as far back as the 7th century AD and holds the distinction as the oldest Catholic cathedral still in use in its original structure. Its hexagonal shape is partially seen to the right of the tower in the above shot. It was not actually built as a cathedral; it was first the Mausoleum of Diocletian, constructed at the same time as the rest of the palace. As cathedrals go, it is of rather modest dimensions although it was extended a bit in the 17th century. Its interior is actually pretty impressive with the amount of decoration in the limited space. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).