Split: A Roman palace transformed into a living medieval city

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kim Bong-ryeol

The author is an architect and professor emeritus at Korea National University of Arts.

On Croatia’s Adriatic coast, medieval cities such as Dubrovnik are scattered like jewels, with red-tiled roofs packed within thick stone walls and narrow alleyways threading between centuries-old buildings. Among them, Split stands out — as not only as another old city, but also one uniquely born from the shell of an ancient Roman imperial palace.

The origins of Split trace back to Emperor Diocletian (r. 284–305), who voluntarily abdicated the Roman throne after 21 years and retreated to a massive palace he had built in Spalatum, now Split. A military strongman from humble Dalmatian origins, Diocletian is credited with ending the Crisis of the Third Century, a period marked by internal chaos and frequent assassinations of emperors. He was the only Roman ruler to step down voluntarily, famously declining repeated calls to return to power, and spent his remaining years tending to vegetables in his seaside residence.

The palace was constructed like a Roman castrum, or military fortress, with square walls and two intersecting main roads dividing the interior into four quarters. The north–south cardo served military purposes, while the east–west decumanus functioned as a commercial artery — standard design features of Roman urban planning. Yet, unlike most Roman cities, the interior of Split was not laid out as a civic center but as a self-contained imperial compound.

The southern gate opened to the sea, allowing access via ship, while the other three gates — east, west, and north — connected to inland roads. The northern half of the compound held military and administrative functions, while the southern half housed the emperor’s private quarters. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the palace slowly transformed. Its wide roads narrowed, homes filled the open spaces and over time, a densely packed medieval city emerged within the original palace walls.

Some elements of Diocletian’s palace remain. The colonnaded peristyle courtyard, the emperor’s octagonal mausoleum and the nearby Temple of Jupiter still stand, offering glimpses into the structure’s Roman past.

In the 15th century, the Republic of Venice colonized Split and expanded the city beyond the old palace walls. The People’s Square and the city hall reflect Venetian Gothic styles. Later, in the 19th century, the Habsburg monarchy added neoclassical architecture, including the national theater.

Split’s evolution resembles that of a living organism, layering histories across time. A walk along the city’s scenic seaside promenade brings visitors face to face with 1,700 years of architectural memory.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.