Zadar

The district of present day Zadar has been populated since prehistoric times. The earliest evidence of human life comes from the Late Stone Age, while numerous settlements have been dated as early as the Neolithic. Before the Illyrians, the area was inhabited by ancient Mediterranean people of a pre-Indo-European culture. They assimilated with the Indo-Europeans who settled between the 4th and 2nd millennium BC into a new ethnical unity, that of the Liburnians. Zadar was a Liburnian settlement, laid out in the 9th century BC, built on a small stone islet and embankments where the old city stands and tied to the mainland by the narrow isthmus, which created a natural port in its northern strait. From the early days of Roman rule, Zadar gained its Roman urban character and developed into one of the most flourishing centres on the eastern Adriatic coast, a state of affairs which lasted for several hundred years. The town was organised according to the typical Roman street system with a rectangular street plan, a forum, thermae, a sewage and water supply system that came from lake Vrana, by way of a 40 km long aqueduct. It did not play a significant role in the Roman administration of Dalmatia, although the archaeological finds tell us about a significant growth of economy and culture. Many remains exist even today that are very interesting to visit and see.

We recommend you to spend minimum one day in this beautiful old city so that you have enough time to walk through the old city core and see also some of the modern day architecture wonders such as the Salute to the sun and the city organs (as the church instrument) that are located on the promenade. It functions so, that when waves hit the shore they create relaxing notes. The city has also many hotels, hostels and two marinas. It is also a transit port for ferries, airplanes and it has a great connection with buses and highway to most Croatian cities.

In Zadar should following attractions be seen:

Church of St Donat

Cathedral of Anastasia

Church of St Chrysogonus (Grisogonus)

City walls

Land Gate

Church and Monastery of St Mary

the Museum of Sacred Art

Church of St Simeon

People's Square Roman

Forum Sea Gate