In Split, Croatia, Diocletian’s Palace is not a freestanding ruin beyond the city. Its walls and ancient spaces are woven into the old town, where homes, shops, cafés and religious buildings occupy the historic complex. The emperor Diocletian commissioned the residence near Salona, the Roman provincial centre close to his birthplace. Split’s tourist board dates the beginning of construction to 293 and describes a building project of about a decade; other official descriptions place the completed complex around 305, when Diocletian retired from power.
The palace was planned as both a luxurious imperial residence and a fortified compound. The Croatian-language city guide describes a roughly rectangular plan about 215 by 180 metres, divided into four sectors by two principal streets. The southern part was intended for the emperor’s apartment and ceremonial functions; the northern part accommodated the guard, servants and storage. Towers and gates formed part of the defensive design. These divisions help visitors read the site, although centuries of rebuilding have changed many individual structures.