At the end of the third century AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian built his palace on the bay of Aspalathos. Here, after abdicating on the first of May in A.D. 305, he spent the last years of his life. The bay is located on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast into the Adriatic, four miles from the site of Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The terrain on which the palace was built slopes gently seaward. It is typical karst terrain, consisting of low limestone ridges running east to west with marl in the clefts between them.
This palace is today the heart of the inner-city of Split where all the most important historical buildings can be found. The importance of Diocletian's Palace far transcends local significance because of its level of preservation and the buildings of succeeding historical periods, stretching from Roman times onwards, which form the very tissue of old Split. The Palace is one of the most famous and integral architectural and cultural constructs on the Croatian Adriatic coast and holds an outstanding place in the Mediterranean, European and world heritage.

In November 1979 UNESCO, in line with the international convention concerning the cultural and natural heritage, adopted a proposal that the historic Split inner city, built around the Palace, should be included in the register of the World Cultural Heritage.

The ground plan of the palace is an irregular rectangle with towers projecting from the western, northern, and eastern facades. It combines qualities of a luxurious villa with those of a military camp. Only the southern facade, which rose directly from, or very near to, the sea, was unfortified. The elaborate architectural composition of the arcaded gallery on its upper floor differs from the more severe treatment of the three shore facades. A monumental gate in the middle of each of these walls led to an enclosed courtyard. The southern Sea Gate was simpler in shape and dimensions than the other three. Perhaps it was originally intended as the emperor's private access to boats, or as a service entrance for supplies.

The dual nature of the architectural scheme, derived from both villa and castrum types, is also evident in the arrangement of the interior. The transverse road (decumanus) linking the east and west gates divided the complex into two halves. In the southern half were the more luxurious structures; that is, the emperor's apartment, both public and private, and cult buildings. The emperor's apartment formed a block along the sea front. Because the sloping terrain created large differences in level, this block was situated above a substructure. Although for many centuries almost completely filled with refuse, most of the substructure is well preserved, giving us evidence as to the original shape and disposition of the rooms above.

A monumental court, called the Perystile, formed the northern access to the imperial apartments. It also gave access to Diocletian's Mausoleum on the east, and to three temples on the west.

The northern half of the palace, which was divided in two parts by the main longitudinal street (cardo) leading from the North Gate to the Perystile, is less well preserved. It is usually supposed that each of these parts formed a large residential complex, housing soldiers, servants, and possibly some other facilities. Both parts were apparently surrounded on all sides by streets. Leading to perimeter walls there were rectangular buildings, possibly storage magazines.

The Palace is built of white local limestone of high quality, most of which was from quarries on the island of Brac; tuffa taken from the nearby river beds; and brick made in Salonitan and other workshops. Some material for decoration was imported: Egyptian granite columns and sphinxes, fine marble for revetments and some capitals produced in workshops in the Proconnesos.

Water for the palace came from the Jadro river near Salona. Along the road from Split to Salona impressive remains of the original aqueduct can still be seen. They were extensively restored in the nineteenth century.

Split is not only an urban, cultural and traffic centre of Dalmatia with road and sea connections to Dalmatia's numerous summer resorts, but it is itself often a tourist and excursionists destination. A city with a 1700-year old tradition, a variety of archaeological, historical and cultural monuments, among which the well-known Palace of Diocletian, inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List, certainly occupies a special position, and the warmth and offer of a modern Mediterranean city. The first detailed tourist guide through the town and its surroundings, published in 1894, bears witness to the long tourist tradition in Split. To be able to grasp the historical significance of the city, one should first visit the museums of Split: the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments - a capital Croatian cultural project, established in 1893 in Knin; the Archaeological Museum from 1820, one of the oldest in Croatia; the Treasury of the Split Cathedral, including a valuable collection of religious art; the Ethnographic Museum, founded in 1910; the Museum of Marine History; the Museum of Natural Science. The Art Gallery, established in 1931, the Collection of the Franciscan Monastery in Poljud, the Mestrovic Gallery, and other are also worth visiting.

Split is a major sports centre (the 1979 Mediterranean Games) with many famous and popular sports clubs and competitors. There are also many sports facilities for recreational purposes. The sports offer includes almost all types of water and other sports, from football, basketball and tennis to mountain climbing and rifle-shooting, water skiing and rowing.

Worth visiting is Marjan Forest Park, the green oasis the citizens of Split have been proud of for generations, carefully maintained and cherished. The park includes promenades, vista points, solariums, nature paths, playgrounds and the Split zoo. A marvellous view is offered from the top of Marjan on the old and new parts of Split. It takes only 15 minutes of pleasant walking to reach Marjan from the historical core of Split through the old quarter Varos. The Marjan stairway, running along the crest of the hill, leads to another, higher top of Marjan, Telegrin, with a vista point offering prospect on the Split peninsula, Kozjak, Mosor, the Kastela Gulf, Salona and Klis, Trogir and Ciovo, and the islands of Solta, Brac, Hvar and Vis. The southern cliffs of Marjan represent in recent times a very good training ground for mountaineers and free climbers, who gather here every April on the occasion of the traditional Marjan Cup.

Split has a variety of restaurants and wine cellars, offering domestic specialities. There are many beaches and public beaches in the city and its surroundings, the most popular of them being Bacvice, a sand beach almost in the very heart of the town.

The cultural and entertainment offer of Split is extremely rich, particularly in the summer, when the city squares, yards and other areas turn into a large open-air stage. The Split Summer, a traditional festival in the middle of the summer season, includes dramas, operas and concerts (from mid-July to mid-August). The Split Saturday Nights are de-voted to classical music. Split also hosts pop-music events, the Art-Summer, folklore shows, the folk feast Day of Radunica, and many other. Major cultural events during the year are the Days of Marulic (in April), the Book of the Mediterranean (in October), and the traditional events include the Day of the Holy Cross, the Flowers Show, the Ball of Split, wine show and other. The Day of St. Doimus (Duje), who is the patron saint of the city, is commemorated on the 7th of May.

Split has several theatres, among which the Croatian National Theatre, established in 1893, deserves a special mention as a house hosting theatrical festivals, the Split Summer and the Days of Marulic. There is also the Youth Theatre, and the Split Puppet Theatre.
Split ACI Marina has 500 berths in the sea and accommodates 100 vessels on the land. Open throughout the year.

Split, a city and port in Central Dalmatia. Situated on a peninsula between the eastern part of the Gulf of Kastela and the Split Channel. A hill, Marjan (178 m), rises in the western part of the peninsula. The ridges Kozjak (780 m) and Mosor (1,330 m) protect the city from the north and northeast, and separate it from the hinterland. Split has the Mediterranean climate: hot dry summers (average air temperature in July reaches 26 °C) and mild, humid winters (average annual rainfall is 900 mm). Split is one of the sunniest places in Europe: the average daily insolation during the year is about 7 hours (in July about 12 hours). Vegetation is of the evergreen Mediterranean type, and subtropical flora (palm-trees, agaves, cacti) grows in the city and its surroundings. Marjan is covered with a cultivated forest.

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Trogir is a town-museum in the very meaning of the word. Lovers of cultural and historical monuments, art, original architecture and nice alleys are given the opportunity in Trogir to learn about the manifold and complex heritage - from the Romanesque yard to the modern interiors. The unique historical core, Radovan's portal, the art collections which have been arousing excitement among visitors and travellers for centuries offer a tourist beauty, personified in the relief of Kairos as an appropriate souvenir. The wider surroundings of Trogir (Trogir - Seget - Ciovo Riviera) is characterized by lavish green vegetation, numerous islands and islets, rocky and pebble beaches.

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Split is the perfect point for setting off to explore the many wonderful islands of the Adriatic coast.

Brač

Brač is the largest island of the central Dalmatian group of islands, the third largest among the Adriatic islands; area 394.57 sq km; population 13,824. It is separated from the mainland by the Brac Channel, from the island of Solta by the so-called Splitska Vrata (Split Gate) and from the island of Hvar by the Hvar Channel. The highest peak of the island, Vidova Gora (Vitus' Mount) (778 m), is also the highest peak of all Croatian islands. The limestone part of the coast is rocky and steep, while the rest is rather low and sandy (on the southern side from Farska to Bol, and on the northern side from Sutivan to Supetar). The island landscape is dominated by a karst limestone relief, with numerous gullies, crevices, cavities, round valleys and coves.

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Hvar

Hvar is an island in the central Dalmatian archipelago; area 299.6 sq km (length 67.5 km, width up to 10.5 km); population 11,459. In front of the western part of the southern coast of Hvar are Pakleni Otoci (Pakleni Islands), and in front of the middle part the island of Scedro. A crest stretches across the middle part of the island, with the highest peak Sveti Nikola (St. Nicholas) (628 m); north of it is the fertile Velo Polje (Big Field). The northern coast of the island, with the spacious Stari Grad Bay and a number of coves, is much more indented than the southern. The island is characterized by mild Mediterranean climate. The air temperature in the winter months is 9.1°C, an average air temperature in January is -8.4°C and in July -24.8°C.

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Čiovo

Čiovo is an island in the central Dalmatian archipelago; area 28.8 sq km (length 15.3 km, width up to 3.5 km); population 6,071; highest peak Rudine (218 m). In the east, Čiovo is about 2 km away from the mainland (Cape Marjan); in the north-west it is connected with the mainland by a bascule bridge (in Trogir). The island of Čiovo actually encloses the Kastela Gulf. Annual rainfall is about 900 mm. The southern side of the island is exposed to the sirocco, however it is protected from the bora, in contrast to the northern coast (protected from the sirocco but exposed to the bora). There are no surface water streams. There are also several caves, the most prominent being Bilosaj and Anicina Jama (Annie's Pit). Čiovo is connected by a bridge to the Unesco protected town of Trogir.

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Šolta

Šolta is an island in the central Dalmatian archipelago, west of the island of Brac; separated from the mainland by the Split Channel, from the Drvenik islands by the Solta Channel, and from the island of Brac by the Strait of Split; area 58.9 sq km; population 1,448 (length 19 km, width up to 5 km); the highest top is Vela Straza (237 m). A large karst field spreads in the island's interior, cultivated with various crops. The island has the Mediterranean climate; the average air temperature in January attains 7.8 °C, and in July 25.3 °C. The largest coves, Rogac and Necujam, are situated on the north-eastern coast, covered with thick shrubs and exposed to northerly winds (especially the bora).

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Vis

Vis is an island in the central Dalmatian archipelago; area 90.3 sq km (length 17 km, width up to 8 km); population 4,338; the highest peak Hum (587 m). The vast Komiza Bay, with sandy bottom, is situated on the western coast of the island. The southern coast is characterized by several smaller inlets (Travna Vela, Travna Mala, Stiniva, Ruda, Teleska Vela, Ploce, etc.). The town and the port of Vis lie on the northern coast of the island with many cliffs, of which Gradac Cliff is most impressive (100 m). The islets of Ravnik, Budihovac, Parzanj and Greben are situated off the south-eastern shore. The island of Vis is exposed to the north-westerly and south-easterly winds. The average air temperature in July is 24 °C, and in January 8.

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A legend has it that the ancient settlement, probably Muccurum, was destroyed in AD 548 by the Ostrogoth king Totila. Later, Makarska was one of the major strongholds of the Nere-ntani/Narentini (defeat of the Venetian fleet near Makarska in AD 887). Until the 14th century Makarska recognized the sovereignty of Croatian, that is Hungarian-Croatian rulers, in the period 1324-1463 it was under the power of the Bosnian rulers Kotromanic, from 1499 to 1646 it was under the Turks, from 1646 to 1797 under Venice and in the period 1815-1918 under Austria. On the coast are the Baroque church of St. Philip Neri and the building of a former monastery of the St. Philip monks, which retained its original aspect. A circular way around the Sveti Petar (St. Peter) Peninsula (lighthouse, foundations of the St. Peter's church from the 15th c. and the restored church of St. Peter, 1993) begins on the northern side of the King Zvonimir Coast (Obala kralja Zvonimira).

South of the pier is Marineta, with a line of trees, stretching to the afforested Cape Osejava. Close to it is a Franciscan monastery from 1400 (restored in 1540, today's aspect since 1614), with a cloister. The old monastery one-nave church, with a Baroque bell tower from 1715, has been converted into an art gallery (The Assumption of Mary by Pieter de Coster from 1760). The monastery cloister houses the Malacological Collection. From the pier, the centre of Makarska may be reached by the stairway to Kacic Square, with a monument to the poet Andrija Kacic Miosic (1889, work by Ivan Rendic); on the upper side of the Square is the Baroque parish, until 1828 bishop's, church of St. Mark (1700-1776). The church features the silver altar of Our Lady of the Rosary (1818) and the marble incrusted main altar (a Venetian work from the 18th c.). Along the southern side of the church is a Baroque fountain from 1775.