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The Roman Palace of Diocletian in Split is an extraordinary place. Built on Croatia’s central Adriatic coast over the course of a decade from CE295, it is simultaneously a Roman ruin and the vibrant, beating heart of Croatia’s second city. It was created as a suitably grand residence for the Emperor Diocletian after his retirement. Diocletian reigned from CE284 to 305, and it was through his extensive administrative reforms that the unwieldy sprawl of the Roman Empire was divided into two spheres, and tetrarchy introduced. Born in Salona (the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, in what is now a suburb of Split), Diocletian abdicated due to poor health and retired to his palace where he lived until his death in 313. The palace complex built to a more or less rectangular plan, stretches back from the waterfront. Originally the whole south wall lay on the sea – the area now dividing the palace from the waterfront, these days filled with inviting-looking cafés, is all reclaimed land. Fortress-like in appearance, the palace is surrounded on all sides by high walls, around 2m thick, which originally included 16 towers (only three corner towers remain). It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.Two main arteries divide the complex: the decumanus, running roughly east-west, and the cardo, which runs south from what was originally the main entrance to the palace, the Porta Aurea (Zlatna vrata), a street now called Dioklecijanova. The decumanus separated the imperial quarters to its south from the military garrison and servants’ quarters, to its north. The Porta Aurea once opened onto the road to Salona, but is now backed by a small park, and towered over by the colossal, wizard-like figure of Grgur Ninski, one of the best-known works by the great Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrovi (friend of Rodin, political activist and the first artist ever to be granted a solo show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York). Local tradition dictates that you should rub DIOCLETIAN’S PALACE IN SPLIT, CROATIA, WAS EXCLUSIVELY BUILT FOR A ROMAN EMPEROR, BUT BECAME THE HEART OF A CITY. RUDOLF ABRAHAM EXPLAINS WHY – AND REVEALS ITS SURPRISING LEGACYPALACE OFTHE PEOPLE60The Arts Society ReviewAutumn 2017TRAVEL ADVERTORIAL