Zadar Things to Do

Walk along the esplanade to the ocean entrance and you will start to hear musical whistling as you approach the end. It comes and goes with the movement of the ocean, wind and tides. This is achieved through small blow holes inserted in the esplanade when constructed and as the wind and tide moves the water it forces air up the blowholes making a whistling sound.

1 more image

This 9th centurychurch is built of honey coloured Dalmatian stone, much of which came from the nearby old Roman Forum. The church has a circular ground plan with three circular apses. It has not been used as a church since 1797.

2 more images

The Roman Forum was the largest on the eastern shore of the Adriatic. It was founded by the first Emperor Augustus, as documented on two 3rd century AD stone carvings on the site. A raised area on the west side was the site of a temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. To one side a "Pillar of Shame" still stands, where sentenced people were chained and pilloried. It was used for this purpose until 1840.

The first photo shows the 15 meters high "Pillar of Shame"

The second photo shows the "Pillar of Shame" with in the background the bell tower of the cathedral

The third photo is a close up on its top where the Lion of St. Mark has been added later by the Venetians but is now slightly damaged by bullets.

Gradska Straža or Loggia della Gran Guardia was the seat of the city guard. It stands on Narodni Trg or Piazza dei Signori. It was designed in 1562 by a Venetian architect, Gian Girolamo Sanmicheli in the late Renaissance style, with a large central clock tower built later, in 1798, and a surrounding stone barrier and railing with holes for cannons (both later additions). The building once housed the Ethnographic Section of the National Museum, one of the most important collections in the country, and worth seeing for the rich colors of local national costumes, textiles (weaving and lace), jewels, agricultural, fishing and household objects. The exhibition was moved for safekeeping during the war, and the first exhibition there since that time reopens in Spring 2005 (?).

1 more image

Gradska Loža or Loggia di Citt? (City lodge) stands on Narodni Trg or Piazza dei Signori (Peoples square). It was built in 1565 by Gian Girolamo Sanmicheli as a city tribunal. With its huge windows and high ceilings, it nowadays serves as a stunning exhibition space, hosting events such as the international photography triennial "Man and the Sea" and the triennial of contemporary Croatian art "The Blue Salon".

1 more image

Providurova palaža (Deputy's Palace) was built in 1607 as the residence for the Venetian Deputy to Zadar. It now houses the Matiċa Hrvatska (the Central Croatian Cultural and Publishing Society).

The second photo is a close up on its superbly carved window.

Kopšena Vrata or Porta di Terraferma (Land Gate) was built in 1543 by Michele Sanmicheli for the Republic of Venice. It was then the main entrance into the city .It is considered as one of the finest monuments of the Venetian rule in Dalmatia, and has the form of a triumphal arch with a central passage for wheeled traffic, and two smaller side arches for pedestrians. It is decorated with motifs such as St Chrysogonus (main patron saint of Zadar) on his horse, and the coat of arms of the Republic of Venice).

The Archaeological Museum (Arheološki Muzej) of Zadar was established in 1830 in a building that does not exist any more. It stands now on the forum square, near Sveta Marija, in a modern building and is one of the most important of Croatia. Its most valuable exhibits are the finds from Liburnian settlements and the graves of northern Dalmatia shown on the second floor. Other collections document Roman times and the early Middle Ages.