Split, Croatia Summary

photo by gusto

By far the largest city in Dalmatia, and its major transit point, SPLIT is one of the most enticing spots on the Dalmatian coast; a hectic city, full of shouting stall-owners and travellers on the move. At the heart of all this, hemmed in by the sprawling estates and a modern harbour, lies a crumbling old town built within the precincts of Diocletian’s Palace, one of the most outstanding classical remains in Europe. The palace was built as a retirement home by Dalmatian-born Roman Emperor Diocletian in AD 305, and although it fell into disrepair soon after his death, the palace’s shell was used as a refuge by those fleeing the Byzantine city of Salona (6km inland), sacked by the Avars in 614. Modified and built-onto over the centuries, Diocletian’s Palace has remained the core of Split ever since.