1,700 Years of One Building: A Short History of Diocletian's Palace

In 305 AD, Roman Emperor Diocletian retired from power to a palace he had built on the Adriatic coast, near his birthplace. What was conceived as a fortified imperial residence became the core of the city we know today as Split.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the palace wasn't abandoned — quite the opposite. The local population moved inside its walls, turning imperial halls, corridors, and basements into homes, streets, and squares. That unbroken habitation is exactly why Diocletian's Palace remains one of the best-preserved Roman monuments in the world.

Peristil, the palace's central square ringed by Corinthian columns, was once a ceremonial space where the emperor appeared before his subjects. Today it's the liveliest spot in the old town — surrounded by cafés and restaurants, with Lvxor sitting right at its edge.

In 1979, UNESCO added Diocletian's Palace and Split's historic core to its World Heritage list. Sitting on our terrace, you're not just enjoying food and drink — you're literally inside a monument of global cultural significance.