Region


Easily reached destination
The city of Zadar is an easily reached destination by land, sea and air. It has a good traffic infrastructure through which it is directly connected to other bigger cities of the Republic of Croatia: Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik, with extraordinary accommodation and contemporary service of numerous marinas. Whichever way you want to reach Zadar, the natural beauty of the landscape will not leave you equanimous.

The ferry port as well as the new tourist port for cruisers are located on the peninsula itself (old part of the city), and entering Zadar on a ferry or boat gives you a magnificent view of the whole city, making your arrival in Zadar a unique experience (ferry and ship lines with Preko, Zaglav, Mali Lošinj, Pula and Ancona/Italy).

Air transport, even though the airport is small it is contemporary (9 km distance from the center), and connects Zadar with bigger cities of the Republic of Croatia and some European capitals. Other destinations are accessible with changes in Zagreb, the capital of the Republic of Croatia and in the network of international air traffic (Croatia Airlines - Pula, Zagreb, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich and Zürich; Ryanair - London-Stansted, Paris-Beauvais, Stockholm, Bruxelles-Charleroi, Oslo-Rygge, Marseille, Dublin, Liverpool, Frankfurt-Hahn, Düsseldorf-Weeze, Karlsruhe, Göteborg, Billund, Wroclaw, Haugesund and East Midlands; Germanwings - Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart; Lufthansa - Berlin, Munich and Düsseldorf, Danubewings - Bratislava; InterSky – Friedrichshafen; Eurolot - Warsaw and Gdansk).

The archipelago
Situated in the heart of the Adriatic, Zadar is the urban center of northern Dalmatia as administrative, economic, cultural and political center of the region with 75,000 inhabitants. The coast is particularly indented, the islands and the untouched nature allures many boaters to this regions. The archipelago counts 24 bigger and about 300 smaller islets and rocks, 3 nature parks - Telašćica, Velebit and Vransko jezero and 5 national parks - Paklenica, Plitvice lakes, Kornati Islands, Krka and Sjeverni Velebit classifying Zadar and its surroundings at the very top of the Croatian tourist offer.
History of Zadar
Zadar is an ancient city, built in the center of the Croatian Adriatic, full of historical and cultural monuments. It is three thousand years old, a city of old, tumultuous and dynamic history, often destructed, looted, devastated, every time emerging from the ruins stronger, richer and more beautiful. Zadar appeared for the first time in history in the 4th century B.C. as a settlement of the Illyrian tribe of Liburnians – the name Jader was mentioned, and through history it changed into Idassa (Greek source), Jadera (Roman source), Diadora, Zara (during Venetian rule and later Italian) up to today’s name of Zadar.

After the year 59 B.C. Zadar became a Roman municipium, and in 48 B.C. a colony of Roman citizens. During Roman rule Zadar acquired the characteristics of a city with a regular road network, a main square – forum, and next to it an elevated capitolium with a temple. In the 7th century Zadar became the center (capital) of the Byzantine theme (province) of Dalmatia. At the beginning of the 9th century Zadar was mentioned as seat of bishop Donatus and the Byzantine leader Paulus. At the time a church was erected on the Roman forum, the church of the Holy Trinity, today St. Donat, for which it can be said to be the symbol of the city. Larger settling of Croats in Zadar was marked in the 10th century. The foundations of the Romanesque church of St. Mary, the church of St. Grisogone and the cathedral of St Anastasia have been preserved from that period. In 1202 the city was conquered and burned by the Crusaders and Venetians. The first Gothic churches in Dalmatia, St. Francis and St. Dominic, were built after that time, and the gold-plated silver sarcophagus of St. Simeon must be distinguished among the treasures of the period. The 15th and 16th centuries are characterized by significant activities of Croatian writers who wrote in the national Croatian language (Petar Zoranić, Brne Krnarutić, Šime Budinić, Jerolim Vidulić ...).

The Austrians (1797) took over the government of Zadar after the Venetians, to be followed by the French (from 1806 to 1813). After a short time of French rule, Zadar remained under Austrian rule until 1918. With the Treaty of Rapallo, Zadar fell under Italian rule, and after the II World War it was annexed to Croatia (within the framework of the Federation of Yugoslavia). Following the Republic of Croatia’s declaration of independence and subsequent Serbian aggression on Croatian territory, Zadar and its surroundings were attacked in October 1991. The Serbian rebels aimed to conquer and destroy the city and its region, attacking with a destructive force that had never been seen so far. Zadar's hinterland was controlled by rebels and significantly devastated. The city itself was repeatedly targeted and cultural heritage of Zadar was heavily damaged.

Today Zadar is a preserved monument of various historical times and cultures that have placed their boundaries and visible outlines of their urban appearance. During its existence it was for many centuries the home of the Ilyrian Liburni and for 1000 years the capital city of Dalmatia. Rich in history, it is curently a focal point in civilisation, and most of all city with an unquestionable future: its accepted concept of development into an international, Mediterranean and Adriatic metropolis is being realised. It is a city with a rich Croatian national identity created in the present, wich successfully adheres to the newest trends in globalisation and informatisation.

Zadar is a city rich in spirutual and material culture, as well as in a touristic identity created in the present. It was created around the Roman forum, a city inside well-kept walls, a city of old Croatian monuments. Full of archieves, museums and libraries, it is the keeper of literary and musical treasure, it is the city inside with the oldest University among Croatians (1396). It was long ago the place where the first Croatian novel and the first newspapers in the Croatian language were created. It is protected by four guardian saints: Zoilo, Simon, Grisogone and Anastasia.

 

WELCOME TO ZADAR!

 

Welcome to the city of Zadar, a city of exceptional history and rich cultural heritage, a city of tourism. Our web site will try to offer you a complete tourist offer, from searching for an ideal accommodation, autochthonous gourmand delicacies, cultural monuments, a variety of excursion programs and numerous tourist activities that the city offers by combining the beauty of the past and all the privileges that the modern traveller demands.

The particularity of the city is irresistible for those who respect and admire historical monuments and cultural heritage, artists, tourists and its citizens. Zadar is a city monument, surrounded by historical ramparts, a treasury of the archaeological and monumental riches of ancient and medieval times, Renaissance and many contemporary architectural achievements such as the first sea organs in the world.

Zadar is a city where huge spaces are left for pedestrians. Using your guidebook, your walk along the cobblestone streets of the city will become a walk through history, and also an experience of the contemporary life of the city. When tired, do try to take a break in one of our restaurants, pastry shops or coffee shops that you can find in the gastro offer of this guidebook. Enjoy listening to the concerts, visit the theatre, museums, and exhibitions.