Diocletian Palace - Split

This excursion will take you to the largest city in Dalmatia, Split, a modern center of the historical region of Dalmatia. This city has so much to offer to its visitors; from cultural and historical monuments to a rich shopping possibility. The most famous building, is naturally, the Diocletian Palace.

• Diocletian Palace is one of the most important works of the late antique architecture. It is a zero category monument, under UNESCO's protection
• The first aquaducts in Croatia were built in Old centuries, during the Roman governing. The Roman aquaduct was built according to the Diocletian Emperor’s order, from the spring of the Salonit river Jader to the Diocletian Palace, and was long for 9 km
• The sfings on Peristil (the main square of Diocletian Palace) was brought form Egypt, from the behalf of the Emperor's builders, and is over 4,000 years old.
• Diocletian Palace is a unique architectonic system, with a magnificent mausoleum, that was turned into a cathedral in the 7^th century, with the rich Peristil (main square), huge basements and cellars, thick walls, festal portals …
• For the grand city history, a visit to the museums in Split is quite worthy: The museum of Croatian archeological monuments - a capital project of Croatian culture founded in 1893; The Archeological museum from 1820 - one of the oldest museums in Croatia; the treasury of the Split cathedral - that keeps the valuable collection of church arts and items; the Historical and navy museum; the collection of the Franciscan monastery in Poljud, the Mestrovic gallery, etc.

Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus is the Latin name of the future Roman Emperor, with originally Greek name Diokles, who comes from the closes area of the capitol of Dalmatia at that time, Salona.

Very near to the Roman Salona, the Emperor Diocletian is building a large palace, in the 3^rd century, that would survive the old capitol, and later on become the historical center of Split, as we know it today. A source of clean water was of great importance and value for the city than as well, and for this reason, a long aquaduct was built from the spring of the river Jadro to the Diocletian Palace, in the 3^rd century, and it is in use today, supplying water to Split. The total length of the main branch was 9 km. These water works were gravitational, and for the topographic circumstances, additional aquaducts and tunnel had to be built. The Diocletian's aquaduct in the region Dujmovaca is 180 m long, 16.5 m high, and the cross section of the channel is 1.60 m times 0.75 m.

After resigning from the throne at the beginning of the 4^th century, the Emperor spends the last days of his life in the Palace.

Split is the economical and the administrative center of Dalmatia. The Palace is the very heart of the city center, where one can observe the relics of almost every historical layer.

Diocletian Palace is a fortress, a villa and a city at the same time!