The Golden Gate of Diocletian’s Palace (Croatian: Zlatna vrata, Latin: Porta Aurea) is one of the four entrances into the palace (the northern entrance). It was the main entrance that the emperor himself and the members of his family used to enter the palace.
The gate was situated on a road that led towards Salona (at the time, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia). The other opening of the Golden Gate is over 4×4 meters large, while the inner one is over 3 meters high, with an arch above it. The two gates are separated by a courtyard.
The facade of the golden gate is decorated by five niches; four of them once housed statues of the Tetrarchs (Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius Chlorus), while the fifth (the central one) seems to have been empty. Two octagonal towers once stood on each side of the gate, but they have since been demolished by the Venetians during their rule over Split.
Right outside the Golden Gate, you will find the statue of Gregury of Nin, and during the summer season, the gate is often accompanied by staff dressed as Roman soldiers.
