Palace & château
Diocletian's Palace
🇭🇷 Croatia · 3rd century
Diocletian's Palace (Croatian: Dioklecijanova palača, pronounced [diokletsijǎːnova pǎlatʃa]; Latin: Palatium Diocletiani) is an ancient Roman palace and fortress complex in Split, Croatia. It was built at the end of the third century AD by the Roman Emperor Diocletian as his retirement residence. About half of the complex was for Diocletian's personal use, with the rest housing the military garrison. The complex was built on a peninsula six kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest from Salona, the former capital of Dalmatia, one of the largest cities of the late empire with 60,000 people and the birthplace of Diocletian.
Today the palace forms about half of the old town of Split, with 3,000 inhabitants and numerous shops, boutiques, cafes, bars, and restaurants. In 1979, it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Text adapted from “Diocletian's Palace” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Diocletian's Palace ranks #43 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #1 of the 60 mapped in Croatia. Founded 293, it is older than 98% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 13 atlas entries founded in the 3rd century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 56,898 times in the last 60 days, more than 99% of the atlas. 5 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Split, 1 km away. It is one of the 23 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Dalmatia. See how Croatia compares in the castle statistics.
View on the interactive castle map →Frequently asked questions
Where is Diocletian's Palace?
Diocletian's Palace stands in Croatia, at 43.50806°, 16.43833°.
When was Diocletian's Palace built?
The atlas dates its founding to 293. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.
Is Diocletian's Palace a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Yes — it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, per its Wikidata entry.
How famous is Diocletian's Palace?
In this atlas's fame ranking: #43 of 7,738 worldwide, and #1 in Croatia. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.
What is the nearest castle to Diocletian's Palace?
Klis Fortress, about 9 km away.
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