Diocletian's Palace
Diocletian's Palace (Dioklecijanova palača in Croatian) is a building in Split in Croatia that
was built by the emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD. The Latin name of
the city, Spalatum, was drawn from that of the nearby Greek colony Aspalathos, which in
turn was named after a white thorn common in the area. Contrary to popular belief, it has
nothing to do with the Latin word for palace, palatium.
Diocletian built the massive palace for his retirement after abdicating on May 1, 305 AD. It
lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast,
four miles from Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The terrain slopes
gently seaward and is typical karst, consisting of low limestone ridges running east to west
with marl in the clefts between them.
After the Middle Ages the palace was virtually unknown in the West until the Scottish neo-
classical architect Robert Adam had the ruins surveyed and, with the aid of French artist
and antiquary Charles-Louis Clérisseau and several draughtsmen, published Ruins of the
Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia (London, 1764). Diocletian's
palace was an inspiration for Adam's new style of Neoclassical architecture[2] and the
publication of measured drawings brought it into the design vocabulary of European
architecture for the first time.
This palace is today, with all the most important historical buildings, in the centre of the city
of Split. Diocletian's Palace far transcends local importance because of its degree of
preservation. The Palace is one of the most famous and complete architectural and cultural
features on the Croatian Adriatic coast, and holds an outstanding place in Mediterranean,
European and world heritage.
In November 1979 UNESCO, in line with the international convention on cultural and natural
heritage, adopted a proposal that the historic city of Split built around the Palace should be
included in the register of World Cultural Heritage.
In November 2006 the City Council decided to permit over twenty new buildings within the
palace (including a shopping and garage complex), despite the fact that the palace had
been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Monument. It is said that this decision was
politically motivated and largely due to lobbying by local property developers.
The World Monuments Fund has been working on a conservation project at the palace,
including surveying structural integrity and cleaning and restoring the stone and
plasterwork, expected to be completed in 2009.
Diocletian's Palace (Dioklecijanova palača in Croatian) is a building in Split in Croatia that
was built by the emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD. The Latin name of
the city, Spalatum, was drawn from that of the nearby Greek colony Aspalathos, which in
turn was named after a white thorn common in the area. Contrary to popular belief, it has
nothing to do with the Latin word for palace, palatium.
Diocletian built the massive palace for his retirement after abdicating on May 1, 305 AD. It
lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast,
four miles from Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The terrain slopes
gently seaward and is typical karst, consisting of low limestone ridges running east to west
with marl in the clefts between them.
After the Middle Ages the palace was virtually unknown in the West until the Scottish neo-
classical architect Robert Adam had the ruins surveyed and, with the aid of French artist
and antiquary Charles-Louis Clérisseau and several draughtsmen, published Ruins of the
Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia (London, 1764). Diocletian's
palace was an inspiration for Adam's new style of Neoclassical architecture[2] and the
publication of measured drawings brought it into the design vocabulary of European
architecture for the first time.
This palace is today, with all the most important historical buildings, in the centre of the city
of Split. Diocletian's Palace far transcends local importance because of its degree of
preservation. The Palace is one of the most famous and complete architectural and cultural
features on the Croatian Adriatic coast, and holds an outstanding place in Mediterranean,
European and world heritage.
In November 1979 UNESCO, in line with the international convention on cultural and natural
heritage, adopted a proposal that the historic city of Split built around the Palace should be
included in the register of World Cultural Heritage.
In November 2006 the City Council decided to permit over twenty new buildings within the
palace (including a shopping and garage complex), despite the fact that the palace had
been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Monument. It is said that this decision was
politically motivated and largely due to lobbying by local property developers.
The World Monuments Fund has been working on a conservation project at the palace,
including surveying structural integrity and cleaning and restoring the stone and
plasterwork, expected to be completed in 2009.
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