Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Zadar faces the islands of Ugljan and Pašman, from which it is separated by the narrow Zadar Strait. The promontory on which the old city stands used to be separated from the mainland by a deep moat which has since become a landfill. The harbor, to the north-east of the town, is safe and spacious. Zadar is the seat of a Catholic archbishop.
Zadar gained its urban structure in Roman times; during the time of Julius Caesar and Emperor Augustus, the town was fortified and the city walls with towers and gates were built. On the western side of the town were the forum, the basilica and the temple, while outside the town were the amphitheatre and cemeteries. The aqueduct which supplied the town with water is partially preserved. Inside the ancient town, a medieval town had developed with a series of churches and monasteries being built.
In 1873 under Austrian rule the ramparts of Zadar were converted from fortifications into elevated promenades commanding extensive seaward and landward views, wall lines thus being preserved; of its four old gates one, the Porta Marina, incorporates the relics of a Roman arch, and another, the Porta di Terraferma, was designed in the 16th century by the Veronese artist Michele Sanmicheli. In the bombardments during the Second World War entire blocks were destroyed, but some structures survived.
PLACE TO VISIT
Enjoy the otherworldly sounds of the Sea Organ (Croatian: Morske orgulje) on Zadar's Riva. This man-made organ works with the motion of the waves and 35 pipes to create a musical soundscape.
St Donatus' Church - a monumental round building from the 9th century in pre-Romanesque style, traditionally but erroneously said to have been erected on the site of a temple of Juno. It is the most important preserved structure of its period in Dalmatia; the massive dome of the rotunda is surrounded by a vaulted gallery in two stories which also extends around the three apses to the east. The church treasury contains some of the finest Dalmatian metalwork; notably the silver ark or reliquary of St Simeon (1380), and the pastoral staff of Bishop Valaresso (1460).
St. Anastasia's Cathedral (Croatian: Sv. Stošija), basilica in Romanesque style built in the 12th to 13th century (high Romanesque style), the largest cathedral in Dalmatia
The churches of St. Chrysogonus and St. Simeon are also in the Romanesque style.
St. Krševan's Church - monumental Romanesque church of very fine proportions and refined Romanesque ornaments.
St. Francis' Church, gothic styled church, site of the signing of the Zadar Peace Treaty 1358
St. Mary's Church, which retains a fine Romanesque campanile from 1105, belongs to a Benedictine Convent founded in 1066 by a noblewoman of Zadar by the name of Cika with The Permanent Ecclesiastical Art Exhibition "The Gold and Silver of Zadar
Citadel - built in 1409, southwest of the Land gate, it has remained the same to this day.
The Land Gate - built to a design by the Venetian architect Michele Sanmicheli in 1543
WHAT TO DO
Sit for hours in one of the cafes and enjoy the city, the sun, and the people. There's very few Internet cafes. For more information visit the tourist office:
Take a dip in the beautiful clear waters. Amazing.
Take a walk along the paved seafront on a summer evening for one of the best sunsets in Europe and listen to the relaxing sounds of the rather origional 'sea organ' set into the harbour wall.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - There is an evening flight from Zagreb. During the summer seasons there are also various tourist flights from several European cities. Cheap flights exist but may be hard to find. AdriaJet sells tickets on charter flights: tel. +385 48 240600. Ryanair has added a low cost flights from London Stansted, Edinburgh and Dublin to Zadar.
By bus - Frequent buses run to and from Zagreb (3h 30 min), Rijeka (change for Trieste in Italy), Pula, Sibenik, Split and on to Dubrovnik. Information: +385-23-211555. Reservations by phone are possible with some operators, e.g. Contus: +385-23-314477. Touring connects Zadar with several German cities. About half the buses for Zagreb pass through the stunning Plitvice National Park.
By train - A few slow trains a day run to Knin and connect into trains for Zagreb and Split. Virtually nobody uses this train to get to these cities. Train to Knin is one carriage long with no air conditioning and can be quite uncomfortable, however the scenery is beautiful and will leave you in wonder at the numerous stations which appear to be in the middle of nowhere.
By boat - Large Jadrolinja http://www.jandrolinija.hr ferries run every few days up and down the coast between Dubrovnik and Rijeka, stopping off at ports (including Zadar) and islands on the way. They also run almost daily ferries in summer to and from Ancona in Italy.
Local Boats - Zadar is also a hub for local boats and hydrofoils in Northern Dalmatia. Services run to and from Olib, Mali Losinj, Ugljan etc.
