In 600 AD, this place rocked. At the time Split became the capital of Dalmatia, it was wealthy and one of the most important cities on the Adriatic. While it has gone through some ups and downs in the past 2,000 years, it clearly rocks today . . . at least as far as tourism applies.
Back in 285 AD, when Rome controlled Dalmatia, powerful Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered the construction of a huge, 7.5-acre luxurious retirement palace on the Adriatic sea for his own personal comfort. It included a military installation for defense and had fresh water delivered to the palace by an aqueduct from a lake a few miles from the site. Sections of the 2000-year-old Roman-built aqueducts are still standing today.
Construction of the palace complex took ten years. Diocletian lived in the palace just six of those years and never saw it to completion. Despite his absence, the completed palace was magnificent. Not only was it large and opulent, but he decorated it with spoils from Rome’s conquests. Inside the palace walls – which no longer have roofs — are columns and sphinx statues from Egypt that are now 3500 years old and still standing strong holding guard.
As a note, some of the best sources of fun and important historical information we receive come from the guides during walking tours in the cities we have visited. In these sessions not only do these highly educated history-loving guides point out all the most important sites, but they relate several chapters of world history, maybe a whole Unit, in easy, relevant terms complete with authentic, actual visual aids. For example, we heard . . .
Christianity was thriving in these parts. Diocletian had no noble blood but was a great soldier and ultimately became a respected Roman emperor. He was an innovator. The Roman empire had grown so immense that it could not be ruled. There was chaos. Diocletian divided the empire into four territories with a hand-selected ruler for each. Under ths “rule of four,” the borders were made secure, and stability was returned to the empire. Make no mistake, he was not a nice guy. Diocletian put a death sentence on those who refused to worship Roman Gods. He ordered the death of many Christians, several of whom were martyrs and were made into saints, like St. Euphemia whose bones rest in her coffin in Rovinj.
Many years after Diocletian’s death, the palace still belonged to Rome, but the empire in these parts began to fall apart. The Diocletian palace was abandoned. Refugees from neighboring villages began to take shelter in the palace. They tore down walls, arches, and temples to reuse the materials to build houses in which to live.
While much of the original 285 – 300 AD palace complex is no more, a remarkable portion of it exists today. Many of the decorative mosaics and murals were torn away by people needing shelter, but stones cut from quarries over 2000 years ago can be seen and touched today. As people moved in, living spaces inside the palace became filled. Soon houses and buildings were built outside the palace walls. With the influx of so many people, Diocletian’s retirement palace developed into a city, Split. The entire area surrounding the huge palace is one of UNESCO‘s first designated protected history sites and one characteristic that makes this spot so unique is that it never ended. The palace never went into total ruin and people never stopped living inside the walls of the Diocletian Palace. Many still do.
Had I been Diocletian, I would have chosen this spot for my palace as well. Like a Venetian palace, The Diocletian Palace sits exactly on the water’s edge, and from it, the city of Split spills out along the coast as it zigs and zags. A round green hill, Marjan Hill, is just to the west of the city, and in the background, this spot is protected by the great mountain of the Dinaric Alps.
I was not expecting mountains here, especially ones that lie so near the seashore. On our drive to Split from Porec, we experienced drastic and varied elements of geography. We wound around and through mountains, some green and some completely white in sheer desolation. Then as we neared the city, the the road hugged the mountains as we drove through the pass. Some tremendous mountains appeared to have been cut in half, green on one side and a glaring lifeless stone wall on the other. Then suddenly we gasped! Atop a natural limestone pillar maybe 1300 feet tall, seemingly standing alone and almost inaccessible, was the Fortress Klis, 2000 years old. We must find a way to visit this place.
Before I go on. We were in Tasmania last March-April. We stayed at Trudi and Rick’s guest house on their sheep farm near Evansdale. We became friends in a very short while. . . sometimes, you just know and click.
During our stay there, Trudi told us she, her sister, and two friends would be embarking on a 2-month European girls’ trip that would include Croatia. Perhaps we could meet? Well, it worked! There was only one single night when our paths crossed, and we collectively made it happen. We had dinner and a rollicking good time right here in Split with Trudi and her delightful crew. Stan was the only man in the group; he held court! He was Stan the Man! Within five minutes of meeting, we all felt as if we knew each other. We power-chatted and power-laughed! It was a grand night!
I love this stuff! I do! I’m so thankful that I have a loving partner who enjoys these surprises and adventures as much as I do.
❤️🥰❤️