The Silver Gate, Split, Besucherguide & was in der Nähe unternehmen

The Silver Gate (Srebrna vrata) is the eastern entrance to Diocletian's Palace in Split, Croatia, a Roman gate that has stood for about 1,700 years. Walk through it and you pass from the busy market square outside into the old stone streets of the palace, which is the heart of Split's old town.

The story behind it

Diocletian's Palace was built around the turn of the 4th century as a retirement home for the Roman emperor Diocletian. He was a soldier of modest origins who was proclaimed emperor by the army in 284 and ruled for about 20 years. In 305 he stepped down, and he is usually described as the first Roman emperor to give up the throne of his own will. He never ruled from Split. The palace was built for his life after power.

The Silver Gate was the second most important entrance to the complex, after the Golden Gate on the north side. Many historians see the palace's regular, fortified plan as a reflection of Diocletian's years in the army. The area outside the gate was dug down in the 1960s, so the gate now stands closer to its original Roman level.

What to look for

• The gate's stonework, where you can see how the Roman builders fitted the large blocks together, and the way the ground was lowered to show more of the original structure.
• The remains of the towers beside the gate, which show that this entrance was built as a defended part of a fortified palace.
• The street running inland from the gate, which leads you straight into the heart of the palace and the old town.
• The contrast between the two sides of the gate: the open market area outside and the narrow, stone-paved lanes inside.

Tips for your visit

• Plan 10 to 15 minutes for the gate itself, longer if you pause to look at the surrounding walls and the market outside.
• Go early in the morning, when the area is quieter and the light on the stone is soft. Midday brings the biggest crowds.
• The gate is part of the open streets of the old town, so you can walk through it freely. Check current opening hours for any museums or sights nearby.
• It sits right next to the market area outside the palace walls, and the rest of the palace is a short walk inside, so it works well as the start or end of a stroll.

See it on a quest

Landmarks of Split: Discover the 1700 Year Old City brings you to the Silver Gate on foot as one stop of a longer route through the old town. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot, so you look at the stone instead of just walking past it. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join. One ticket covers the whole group.