Split is the largest city in Dalmatia and second largest in Croatia. It is a center of transport and tourism on the Adriatic coast.
It is one of the oldest cities in Croatia. It was founded by Greek colonists in 3rd century BCE and it was named Aspalathos. In 305 CE, Roman emperor Diocletian built his retirement palace which was the nucleus of the city of Split following the fall of Salona around 650 CE. Salona, which lies some 4 km to the north was the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia and had a population of 60000 people.
Diocletian’s palace along with the historical core of Split has been on the UNESCO’s list of World heritage sites since 1979, not only because of the extraordinary preservation of the palace, but also because of the fact that the old city is still inhabited and is a center of Split.