Diocletian's Palace (Croatian: Dioklecijanova palača) is an ancient palace built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the 4th century AD, that today forms about half the old town and city center of Split, Croatia. While it is referred to as a "palace" because of its intended use as the retirement residence of Diocletian, the term can be misleading as the structure is massive and more resembles a large fortress: about half of it was for Diocletian's personal use, and the rest housed the military garrison.
Diocletian built the massive palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD. It lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast, four miles from Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The terrain slopes gently seaward and is typical karst, consisting of low limestone ridges running east to west with marl in the clefts between them.
Diocletian's Palace in Worldwar[]
During their invasion, the Race garrisoned the palace during their attempt to conquer Croatia in 1943. Race Intelligence Officer Drefsab intended to use the base as a trap for German officer Otto Skorzeny, who'd become a thorn in the Race's side. Instead, Skrozeny turned the tables by luring Drefsab and much of the Race garrison out of the Palace. Then he and his men entered the palace and ambushed the remaining guards, causing substantial damage to the palace. Skorzeny and his men then met Drefsab and his soldiers in the streets of Split. Heinrich Jäger, one of the Germans who'd accompanied Skorzeny, had been a student of archaeology. He admired the palace, and was quite chagrined at being responsible for its destruction.
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