Split is the second largest city in Croatia, with just
under 200,000 inhabitants, and is the largest city on the Adriatic
coast. Emerging from a Greek settlement founded between the 3rd and
4th centuries, the height of Split's history came in 295 AD when
Roman emperor Diocletian ordered a residence to be built there for
his retirement. It took ten years to build this magnificent palace
and Diocletian lived there until his death in 313 AD. Diocletian's
Palace holds UNESCO World Heritage Status, and is one of the most
important landmarks in Split.
Within the palace is the Peristyle - the main open space in the
palace, surrounded by a colonnade of six columns to the eastern and
western sides and an arch, decorated with garlands, in the centre.
On the eastern side of the Peristyle is a cathedral, on the western
side a Narodni trg ("People's Square") with the old town hall that
was built in the 15th century. There is an ethnographic museum on
the square that is worth visiting, and nearby is a city museum.