There’s a Supermarket in Croatia With UNESCO Protection

The Billa store in Split, Croatia, doesn’t look like your average supermarket. There are Roman columns jutting out of the floor, and it’s housed inside a complex that contains a palace dating back to the 3rd century CE. Because of its unique location within a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the grocery store is technically protected by the United Nations, according to Atlas Obscura.

Split, which can be reached by ferry from the Game of Thrones-famous city of Dubrovnik, is known among travelers for its beaches and ancient Roman and medieval monuments, but also for its nightlife and modern conveniences. The Billa supermarket is representative of what happens when these two worlds collide.

The store has since been acquired by SPAR grocery, but you can still find it on the ground floor of the Mala Papalićeva Palača complex, which was reportedly built in the 13th century and once belonged to a noble family. The building is part of a larger complex known as Diocletian’s Palace, which Atlas Obscura describes as “a city within a city that comprises the historic center of Split.”

The area became a UNESCO site in 1979, but the ground floor remained privately owned, which allowed the grocery store to legally buy the unit and set up shop in 2014. Some locals were shocked, according to Croatia Week, but officials reportedly had no means of stopping the development. So the next time you want to peruse the cheese selection while admiring ancient architecture, you’ll know exactly where to go.

[h/t Atlas Obscura]