Zadar - jewel of the Adriatic
Zadar first appears in history as "Jadasinos" in a Greek inscription from the 4th century B.C.. The city was ruled by the Illyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Austrians and the French. Each ruler and epoch has left its mark on Zadar, which has in the past been called "Jader", "Jadera", "Idassa" and "Diadora". Caesars, kings, popes, scientists, artists and builders have all left indelible traces.Before you get down to enjoying the city – here is some information about its rich history!
Read all about its beginnings, through the centuries and the recent past: everything you should know about Zadar!
B.C. – 1000 A.D.:
Zadar was known as a settlement in the time of the Illyrians. In the second century B.C. the city was conquered by the Romans, who built a capitol, fortifications, baths and an aqueduct.
In 59 B.C. Zadar became a Roman municipium, and from 48 B.C. a colony of Roman citizens.
Following the fall of the western Roman Empire, Zadar became the capital of Byzantine Dalmatia. From that time on the city changed hands several times: first came the Franks, then at the beginning of the 9th century it reverted to Byzantine rule. Raids by pirates led to Zadar coming under the protection of Venice, and in the year 1000 the Emperor Alexios I formally ceded the city.
10th – 14th century:
In the 10th and particularly in the 11th centuries, Croatian rulers effectively controlled the city. Then in 1102, Zadar, along with the rest of Croatia, was forced to recognise the suzerainty of the Hungarian kings.
From the 12th century on, Zadar constantly fought with Venice. In 1118 the armies of the Hungarian king Stephan II triumphed over the Venetians, and Ordelafo Faliero, the Doge, was killed not far from the city. In 1202 Venice regained Zadar with the help of the French crusader army. Venetian and Hungarian rule came and went. After several uprisings, Zadar came into the hands of the Hungarian-Croatian King Louis I (the Peace of Zadar, 1358). After the King’s death, Sigismund came to the throne, followed by Ladislas of Naples, Pretender to the Hungarian Crown. In 1409 he sold Zadar, and his rights to Dalmatia, to Venice for 100,000 ducats.
The city then began a gradual decline, as the Venetians placed severe limits on the political and economic freedoms of Zadar. When the Ottoman Turks conquered the surrounding areas at the beginning of the 16th century, the city became a strong fortress securing Venice’s trade routes along the Adriatic and serving as and administrative centre for the Venetian lands in Dalmatia.
Ivan Lucić (1604-1679), founder of Croatian historiography and his work "De regno Dalmatiae et Croatiae".
Recent history:Following the fall of Venice in 1797, Zadar came under Austrian rule. The city was then ceded to France in 1805 and made part of its Illyrian Provinces. During French rule, Zadar saw the publication of the first newspaper in the Croatian language, the “Kraljski Dalmatin” (1806-10).
After a six-day bombardment in December 1813, Zadar again capitulated to Austria, which held it until 1918. It was the capital of the kingdom of Dalmatia, one of the Austrian crown lands. In the second half of the 19th century, Zadar stood at the centre of the movement for the Croatian cultural and national revival in Dalmatia.
After the first world war Zadar was ceded to Italy under the Treaty of Rapallo (1920). In 1944 it became part of the constituent republic of Croatia within Yugoslavia, which has since 1991 been the independent Republic of Croatia.
Zadar 1929
In 1991 Serbian paramilitaries and the de facto Serbian Yugoslav People’s Army attacked Zadar from the air and with artillery, causing considerable damage to the city’s cultural treasures. The city could only with great difficulty be defended against the attacking Serbian troops. Communications with Zagreb could only be maintained via the island of Pag. Attacks on the city finally came to an end in 1995 following Operation Oluja (Storm) by the Croatian military.
Zadar today has a population of 76,343 and is the cultural, economic and tourist centre of northern Dalmatia: it is a city full of life and Mediterranean style!
Visit the sights of the city and immerse yourself in its living history! More Details you will find here.
