Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Backtrack to the main drag and go inside the huge...
Golden Gate (Zlatna Vrata)
This great gate was the main entry of Diocletian's Palace. Its name wasn't literal—rather,
the “gold” suggests the importance of this gateway to Salona, the Roman provincial capital
at the time. Standing inside the gate itself, you can appreciate the double-door design that
kept the palace safe. Also notice how this ancient building is now being used in very dif-
ferent ways from its original purpose. Above, on the outer wall, you can see the bricked-in
windows that contain part of a Dominican convent. At the top of the inner wall is some-
body's garden terrace.
Gooutsidethegateandlookbackattherecentlyrestoredfortification—withallitsstruc-
tural elements gleaming. This mostly uncluttered facade gives you the best opportunity in
town to visualize how the palace looked before so many other buildings were grafted on.
Straight ahead as you exit this gate is Salona (Solin), which was a major city of 60,000 (and
Diocletian's hometown) before there was a Split. The big statue by Ivan Meštrovi
ć
is
Bish-
op Gregory of Nin,
a 10th-century Croatian priest who tried to convince the Vatican to al-
low sermons during Mass to be said in Croatian, rather than Latin. People rub his toe for
good luck (though only nonmaterial wishes are given serious consideration). The big build-
ing beyond the statue houses Split's
Gallery of Fine Arts
(described later, under “Sights in
Split”).
