Architecture, Croatia

Porta septemtrionalis is their Roman name. Emperor Diocletian walked through them as he entered the Palace on the 1st of June 305. They were built in the shape of a rectangle, with double doors, as part of the defensive military tactics (propugnaculum). The facade was decorated with niches containing figure sculptures of the four tetrarchs (Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius and Constantius Chlorus). These doors, starting from Peristyle, and then through Cardo street, led directly towards Salona as the capital city of the Roman Province Dalmatia, and could only be used by the emperor and the members of his family. Today they are, together with the nearby monument to the Bishop Gregorius of Nin (Grgur Ninski), the work of a great Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, one of the favourite Split tourist spots. Under the influence of Venice, in the 16th century, the gates change their name to Porta Aurea or Golden Gates, and this name stayed with them to this day. https://visitsplit.com/en/521/the-golden-gate

On the steep cliffs of the gorge between Kozjak and Mosor stands the Klis fortress, with one eye facing the sea and another facing Zagora. It was built on an extraordinary strategic location that allows military and commercial control over the whole Klis valley and the area of Salona and Split. Because of its importance, Klis was often referred to as the key to Dalmatia and the heart of the medieval Croatian kingdom. The findings from the Krčina cave are the first traces of the settlement of the area around Klis fortress. It is ceramic pottery in which different forms are imprinted before the baking from which the name Impresso culture is derived, and it lasts from 6000 to 4500 BC on the Adriatic coast. Today we do not know much about the population of those times, but there is a possibility that there were first traces of agriculture in the Adriatic coast. The first population of this area we can accurately identify are the Dalmatians, one of the Illyrian tribes. They inhabited the area from the river Krka to the Neretva, among others the area along the river Jadro (today’s Solinčica beneath Klis). They raised their forts on natural elevations for easier protection from possible attackers. At the foot of Klis fortress, the remains of such settlement were found, and its role was control of the passage between Kozjak and Mosor. Together with the other nearby forts, the hill below Klis controlled access to Illyrian Salona and the mouth of the river Jadro. This role will take on all of the later buildings at this location. https://www.tvrdavaklis.com/povijest-tvrdave/?lang=en

Porta Orientalis is their Roman name. These gates were used to enter the palace from the east towards the west, through the main street, decumanus, all the way to the Iron Gate and to Pjaca, the central city square. The Silver Gate was more modest in its decorations than the Golden one, and it was closed from the Middle Ages till 1952, only to be thoroughly reconstructed during the destruction of the Baroque church Dušica. On each side of the gate, the remains of the octagonal towers are visible, hence making it easy to imagine the beauty of the construction and the strength of the control over the entrances from the north, east and west. Entering through those gates the passersby, even today, have the opportunity to walk the original ancient pavement on decumanus, walked also, so many years ago, by the Diocletian's subjects. Silver Gate has recently enriched its history with the greatest event for all the Split Catholics when in the year 2000 Pope John Paul II passed through them admiring the beauty of St Domniuses Cathedral where he later prayed. https://visitsplit.com/en/522/the-silver-gate

The Riva started to look the way it does today two centuries ago, when the French, in time of Napoleon ruled these parts through Marshal Marmont. Today this promenade is the cities living room, the most popular and most important public place in Split. In the meantime, it has been widened and reconstructed several times, but it was always blessed with the most spectacular setting, the south facade of the Diocletian Palace, with the entrance into the Substructures, and later on with the buildings that were built west of the Palace, also the Franciscan monastery with the church of St. Francis, and the Bajamonti Dešković Palace and last but not least the Port Authorities building on the east end. Riva today is pedestrian heaven, thrusting with Cafés and restaurants, an ideal place for having your morning or afternoon coffee, or for an evening out with friends over drinks. Riva is the stage of the city life of Split, a venue for numerous cultural and entertainment events, boisterous Split carnival, as well as the stage for meeting Split sportsmen after countless successes, such as Goran Ivanišević, Hajduk football club players and Jugoplastika basketball players, Olimpic medal winners... Riva is also a political forum, with decades of political opportunities being depicted through mass rallies. Naturally, Riva is always at its best in time of Sudamja, a celebration dedicated to St. Domnius, the patron saint of Split. https://visitsplit.com/en/512/the-riva

The Church and the Monastery of St Francis, located on the Western part of the Riva, were built on the old early Christian site, by the grave and a small Church of St Felix, martyr from the time of Diocletian. In the 13th century, the Little brothers of St Francis inhabit the Church. From the Churche's artwork, the most valuable is the Gothic Crucifix painting by Blaž Juraj of Trogir from the beginning of the 15th century, and the sarcophagus depicting the Crossing over the Red sea, part of the sacral artwork from the Roman times. Next to the Church is a Franciscan monastery with a 13th-century cloister and an opulent library with over 3000 books, among which even some from 16th century. In the Church and the Monastery are tombs of prominent citizens of Split, like the father of Croatian literature Marko Marulić and one of the greatest Croatian politicians Ante Trumbić whose sarcophagus is the work of Ivan Meštrović. https://visitsplit.com/en/1239/church-and-monastery-of-st-francis

Their original, Roman name was PORTA OCCIDENTALIS, and they are one of the four through which life flowed during all 17 centuries of the history of Split. From the very first day that they were opened, they continued to witness all the changes the city went through from the Roman times, through the middle ages till today, all the power and influences, only to welcome, even to this day, with the bells of the Renaissance clock, the city of Split with its citizens. A relief of Nika, the Roman Goddess of Victory stood on the lintel, but already in the fifth century, the Christians carved a cross in its place as their symbol. In the eleventh century, a small church of our Lady of the Belfry, was built above the door, originally dedicated to St Theodor, with beautiful early Romanesque bell tower. In the Middle Ages the area inside the gate was used as a courthouse, and until about fifty years ago an empire of small shops found its place there. These entire history dynamics is present to this day, with housing construction in the very walls of the gate, bell tower, part of the Roman guard's pathway with a wonderful view of the decumanus and the People's Square (Narodni trg), and also city clock which is of special interest as it has 24 digits instead of the usual 12. By the very door, one of the most beautiful Palaces of the late Split noblemen found its place, belonging to the family Cypriani Benedetti, decorated by two unique six-arch windows. https://visitsplit.com/en/523/the-iron-gate

Diocletian Palace is one of the best preserved monuments of the Roman architecture in the world. The Emperor's Palace was built as a combination of a luxury villa - summer house and a Roman military camp (castrum), divided into four parts with two main streets. http://visitsplit.com/en/448/diocletian-palace

City Tower, a symbol of Rijeka and a good example of a typical round tower access-point, which lead into the fortified town. Today it dominates the central part of Korzo, although during its lifetime it was overtopped by more recently constructed buildings. It was built in the Middle Ages, probably on the foundations of the Late Antique littoral town gates. Some baroque phases of its construction can be seen on the lower part of the front of the Tower, which are characterised by a richly decorated portal, an imperial coat of arms carved out of stone and relief of the Austrian emperors Leopold and Charles VI. Rijeka paid them special respect due to the maritime orientation they introduced into the state policies of the Austrian court. The Tower’s superstructure, on which a city clock has been situated since the 17th century, has been remodelled several times; most significantly at the turn of the 18th century under the guidance of municipal engineer A. Gnamb, the last time was at the end of the 19th century, based on a design by F. Bazarig. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Monuments/City_Tower

The museum is headquartered in the former Governor's Palace, a historicist edifice and protected cultural monument. The Governor's Palace was constructed in 1896 and designed by Alajos Hauszmann, one of the foremost Hungarian architects during the time when Rijeka was under Hungarian rule. Today, the palace houses the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral, which was established in 1961 and comprises maritime, historical and cultural, ethnographic and archaeological departments. Some of the original items from the Governor's Palace, such as furniture and artisan craft-work, have been preserved and exhibited in salons on the first floor. The permanent exhibition of the museum provides an interactive and modern platform for showcasing the long, rich and tumultuous history and culture of living in the area of what is today Primorje-Gorski Kotar County from prehistoric times to the present day. The Lipa Pamti Memorial Centre (Lipa Remembers), which is dedicated to the victims of the Lipa massacre that took place on 30 April 1944, is also a part of the museum. In addition to its memorial heritage, the Memorial Centre interprets the entire cultural, historical and ethnographical heritage of the Liburnian Karst region (Rupa, Pasjak, Šapjane and Brce) from prehistoric times to the present day. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Museums_and_Collections/The_Maritime_and_History_Museum_of_the_Croatian_Littoral_Rijeka

Passing under the round City Tower, the former main medieval town entrance that gave access to the coast, you enter the centre of Rijeka’s Old Town. Located in the modern-day Ivan Kobler Square, there was once a more compact municipal centre called Placa, which served the significantly smaller fortified medieval town. The most knowledgeable historical interpretations of Rijeka Town present it as vertically elongated, framed to the north and south by the City Tower and the Town Hall, and to the east and west by chains of houses. The northern part of Rijeka was dominated by the lord's castle, the eastern part featured the main commoners’ church with a cemetery, to the west there was a spacious cloistered enclosure, and here, in the south quarter, near the embankment and the beach market under the town walls, there was the vibrant heart of the Town. There, the citizens of Rijeka would meet to listen to the proclamations of the Town Crier, seal contracts and buy and sell on the open market or in stores situated in the ground floors of houses. Only traces of those houses remain now, with several old walls integrated into more modern buildings, a baroque lintel with the former owner’s coat of arms and an arched underground corn house. In the near past was the former town “Greenmarket” where fruit and vegetables were sold. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Architecture/Ivan_Kobler_Square

Those who peek into Rijeka’s computer museum and poke through its past will be amazed by the speed at which our technological future has become our past. Under the name Peek&Poke, it is the first Croatian museum of computers and computer equipment. Its founders call it the Retro Computer Club. Opened in 2007, it welcomes its visitors with exhibits that date back to the 1960s. Some of the oldest exhibits include the pioneers of computer technology, such as Minivac (1961), the first big series personal computer (Apple II), the first affordable home computer (Sinclair ZX80), the first palmtop (Newton), the computer on which Andy Warhol made his art (Amiga 1000) and the great-grandfather of all modern personal computers - the original IBM PC. The museum holds a proof that Croatia was once a leader in one sector of this technology - the first European calculator, manufactured in 1971 in Buje in the Digitron factory, is exhibited here. The museum has over 2000 exhibits of international and Croatian computer, audio, video and photo technology. Located in the premises of 300 square meters in the city centre, it is one of the first 5 world museums on this subject and is also the largest exhibition of its kind in this part of Europe. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Museums_and_Collections/Peek_and_Poke_Computer_Museum

The Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat is the largest pilgrimage centre of Western Croatia. Its foundation is reported to be, according to tradition, related to the miraculous transport of the Nazareth Barn, and its stay on Trsat (1291 – 1294). Shortly after the relocation of the Mother of God’s house to Loreto, Prince Nikola I of Krk built the first small church on the place where the barn stood on Trsat. Marija`s Trsat became a pilgrimage point of convergence, the reputation of which was strengthened by the astounding painting of the Lady of Trsat, which was a gift given to the inconsolable Croats in 1367 by Pope Urban V for the loss of the Holy Barn. In the XV century, the Sanctuary was taken over by Franciscans, who have remained its guardians to the present day. On 8 June 2003, Pope John Paul II attended a long pilgrimage procession. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Attractions/Shrine_of_Our_Lady_of_Trsat

Rijeka is reflected in Korzo, at Korzo you can read Rijeka. Anyone who, at least once, had a coffee at one of the terraces of numerous and picturesque café bars lined along this unusual promenade, would agree. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Korzo

St. Vitus’ Cathedral is the only Baroque rotunda of monumental proportions built on Croatian soil. The construction of this church, designed by the Jesuit architect G. Briano, began in 1638. It was made on the model of the famous Venetian church of Santa Maria della Salute. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Monuments/St._Vitus_Cathedral

The Trsat Castle represents a strategically embossed lookout on a hill 138 meters above sea level dominating Rijeka. It was mentioned as a parochial centre for the first time in 1288. At this same site there was a Liburnian observation post from prehistoric times, used for monitoring the roads leading from the hinterland to the coast. http://www.visitrijeka.eu/What_To_See/Attractions/Trsat_Castle

A small church of St. George used to be situated where the Church of St. Euphemia is located today. When St. Euphemia's sarcophagus was brought to Rovinj, the Church of St. George became too small for all the pilgrims. In the 10th century, the people of Rovinj started building a new, bigger church. It was a three-nave church with three projected apses and wooden statues of St. George and St. Euphemia. At the beginning of the 17th century, a new gold-plated stone statue was erected which until this day remains on the altar of the Saint. The church itself required with time more and more reparations, and the town population grew so that the people of Rovinj decided to build an even bigger church. The building process started in 1725 and lasted until 1736. Three main altars were built in 1741, and the organ was installed in 1754. The façade was designed and built in the second half of the 19th century. Many altars and paintings enrich and embellish the church from within. https://www.inforovinj.com/eng/rovinj/znamenje/crkva-sv-eufemija.asp

Located in the baroque palace of the XVII / XVIII century of the Count Caliphs, the museum was founded in 1954 on the initiative of some artists of Rovinj. Their idea was to gather the rich cultural heritage of the city in a single exhibition space. The museum serves as a town gallery and exhibits its precious collection to the public in a permanent exhibition. In its half-century of life it has gathered a rich collection that includes sections of contemporary art, old masters, archaeological, ethnological, books, documents and photographs on the activities of the partisan battalion Pino Budicin and more. The Museum houses one of the most important collections of ancient masters in Croatia, in particular the Italian masters from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. The Renaissance is represented through works by artists from the circle of Giovanni Bellini and Bonifacio de Pitatija (Adoration of the Magi), while the most important exponents of Baroque are Marco Ricci (On the road to Emmaus), Antonio Zanchi, Jerome Romanin, Nicola Grassi, the school of Guido Reni and Bernardo Strozzi and others. https://www.inforovinj.com/eng/rovinj/znamenje/zavicajni-muzej-rovinj.asp

Rovinj represented an exception among the cities on the west coast by the lack of a Franciscan monastery during the first period of the existence of the order. Only at the end of the fifteenth century, the Diocese of San Geronimo decided to build one on the island of St. Andrew (Red Island) near Rovinj, upon the site of the Benedictine hospice and the church from the sixth century. According to tradition, the monastery was founded by St. John of Capistrano, a famous missionary engaged in the fight against the Turks. His body is kept in the Franciscan monastery of Ilok, in eastern Croatia. In 1807, after nearly four centuries after its foundation, the monastery of Saint Andrew was closed by Napoleonic authorities. In the early eighteenth century, the St. Anthony's Franciscan reformers built a new monastery in the north, in the continental part of the city, which was not yet connected to the mainland. In 1696 the City Council invited the Franciscans to come to Rovinj to erect a new hospice. The approval of the Doge Alvise Mocenigo arrived in 1700 and two years later, in 1702 the construction of the church and hospice began. On that occasion, for the first time explosive was used in Rovinj to derive rock tanks for rainwater. https://www.inforovinj.com/eng/rovinj/znamenje/franjevacki-samostan.asp

The Old Town is where life started on what used to be an island secured by medieval walls. The city had seven gates, three of which have been preserved to this day: The Gate of St. Benedict, The Portica and The Gate of the Holy Cross. The first archeological traces of life date back to the Bronze Age, and the old city started developing in the 3rd century. The limited space conditioned the construction of narrow houses, narrow streets and small squares. It's an unique place to visit. The town clock and a small fountain are located on the main town square. The town clock once represented the tower on the south corner of the former town walls. Built in the 12th century, the tower was extended several times. The town clock with its Venetian lion, the symbol of Serenissima dating back to mid-19th century, was situated on the town gate fort near the Califfi Palace. http://www.rovinj.co/en/meet-rovinj/culture-and-history/

St. Thomas church is situated 4 kilometres north of Rovinj, next to the old railway line that led from Rovinj to a small place Kanfanar. This edifice has a cross ground plan lately completed by a church tower placed on its north side. There is a six metres high apse, semicircular on the inside part and polygonal on the outside part. Lateral windows are enriched by semi-circular apses as well, although being constructed of smaller size. These apses are connected with the central nave by a high semi-circular passage. In the north part of the church, the original paving was discovered along with the preserved stand of shrine partition with several niches for pilasters. Above the central part, the remains of arches that upheld the retracted construction high above the roofing are still visible. A radical constructional intervention was undertaken on the church in the 16th century, changing completely its original form. Since the lateral arches were walled in the whole edifice got one nave. The west part of the edifice was significantly shortened and altered by a new forepart with two square windows. https://www.inforovinj.com/eng/rovinj/znamenje/crkva-sv-tome.asp

If you walk from the square to the north, passing the main city gate or Porta di datallo (Gate of Dates) ascending the stairs through the old part of the city in which there are palaces built in the 15th and 16th centuries, through small bends that give out the aromas of Mediterranean plants, you will reach Hvar's fort Fortica or how the locals call it Španjola. It was built at the beginning of the 16th century (during the Venetian rule) and was reconstructed in 1579. Today the fort holds a collection of amphora and other exhibits from antiquity and the Middle Ages. Besides experiencing its exquisite architecture, you will experience an unforgettable panoramic view of the city of Hvar, its surroundings and the Pakleni islands. https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/the-fort-fortica-spanjola/HV-TR-27

An easy stroll from Hvar's square, along the sea and the waterfront soon brings you to the Franciscan monastery. Within the peace and quiet of the monastery walls, you can enjoy a rich display of museum exhibits (collections of Greek, Roman and Venetian coins, liturgical items, atlas of the ancient cartographer Ptolemaeus, rare exhibits of amphora, etc.), as well as paintings of Venetian artists like Francesco Santacroce and Palma Junior. The monastery is known for its magnificent painting of the Last Supper (2 x 8 m) which leaves everyone breathless. Some critics believe it is the work of a painter from Ravenna Matteo Ingoli, whilst others think that the painting belongs to the school of Palma Junior. One more rarity that makes the monastery famous is the 300-year old cypress that is located in the garden of the monastery. https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/franciscan-monastery-hvar/HV-TR-28

If you visit Hvar, all the streets will lead you to Hvarska pjaca (Hvar's square), the centre of the city's public and social life and the largest square in Dalmatia. The eastern side of the square is surrounded by the Cathedral of St. Stephen that was built on the foundations of an early-Christian church from the 6th century and that acquired its present appearance in the 16th and 17thcentury. The Cathedral is dedicated to St. Stephen, a pope and martyr, the protector of the Diocese and the city of Hvar. The renaissance bell-tower of the Cathedral and Hvar's other bell towers (St. Mark, Franciscan and the ruined one of St. Venerande) are considered to be the nicest ones in Dalmatia. Hvar's Cathedral preserves many valuable items and paintings of famous painters like Stefano Celesti, Palma Junior and the Spanish painter Juan Boschettus, but the most renowned painting is definitely Madonna, an example of the proto-Venetian art and one of the oldest in Dalmatia originating back in 1220. In the Episcopal Palace standing next to the Cathedral, a collection of objects of art, sacred vessels, archival documents, old books and liturgical vestments was founded in 1963. http://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/square-of-st-stephen-cathedral-of-st-stephen/HV-TR-37

Tvrdalj was built as a fort for defence from the Turks by the renowned poet from Hvar Petar Hektorović. It was erected by filling up the sea and one could enter it only over a bascule bridge. In the centre of Tvrdalj, Hektorović designed and built a Romanic park with a fishpond. Tvrdalj has numerous stone inscriptions, but the one saying 'Omnium Conditori' is the most significant one, since, with it, Hektorović dedicated his Tvrdalj to God, the Creator of everything. https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/tvrdalj-stari-grad/HV-TR-24

One of the most significant monuments of the island of Hvar is definitely the Church – fort erected in 1571, after the Turkish attack on the location of an older church that originated in 1465. The church has the shape of a fort with an observation post and a loop-hole and from its top, there is a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding places and fields. The church preserves valuable works of Stefan Celesti ('Lady of Mount Carmel'), Antonio Sciuri ('Mary's Childbirth'), Giuseppe Alabardi ('Resurrection' and 'Placing into the tomb') Marko Rašica ('Lady of Mount Carmel') and Celestin Medović ('Homage of the Three Kings'). https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/church-fort-of-st-mary-vrboska/HV-TR-23

Today's parish church, the Church of the Assumption was erected on the foundation of the early gothic church and was expanded and fortified in 1535. The church vestry preserved valuable liturgical vestments and several crosses of artistic value and the painting of "Mother of God and the torture of Fabian and Sebastian" of the Flemish-Venetian painter Pietera de Costera is especially valuable. 15th of August, the day of Vela Gospa (The fiesta of the Assumption) there is a fiesta in Jelsa when people from the surrounding places visit Jelsa. On the night of Good Thursday from Jelsa starts the procession Za Križem (Procession of the Cross) towards Pitve then further on towards Vrisnik, Svirče, Vrbanj and Vrboska. After a 22 km long journey, with the first rays of the morning sun, the procession returns to the parent church. This unique tradition which has been going on for 500 years is on a representative UNESCO list of non-material cultural heritage of the world. https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/church-of-the-assumption-jelsa/HV-TR-125

In the 19th century during the period of sailboats Stari Grad marked the development of the shipping industry and naval construction. There is a rich naval collection preserved in Palace Biankini in Stari Grad. The collection was founded by the Centre for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the island of Hvar in 1966 and besides documentation on naval construction; it also displays various nautical instruments, paintings of Hvar captains, old nautical charts and literature on navigation. https://www.visit-hvar.com/tours/palace-biankini-and-naval-collection/HV-TR-38

Visit the Villa Angiolina, a former summer residence and today the seat of the Croatian Museum of Tourism. The museum hosts various exhibitions, workshops and projects that will explain to you why Opatija was a favourite destination for many historical figures. This is the building that certainly marked the beginning of the tourist epoch in the history of Opatija. Pending its building in 1844. (actually a reconstruction of an older building owned by baron Haller von Hallerxtein); Opatija was a relatively large settlement with about 120 houses, clustered mainly around plots further away from the sea coast and chiefly oriented towards fishing and seafaring. With the arrival of Iginio Scarpa, a patrician from Rijeka, and building of his summer house Angiolina (named after Scarpa’s then already deceased wife, originating from the Sartori family), Opatija opened her doors to a whole line of guests and passengers, among whom it is noteworthy to mention the Austrian empress Mary Ann, the botanist Heinrich Noë, the croatian ban Josip Jelačić and others who in their enthusiasm for the local vegetation and climate spread the fame about Opatija and thus prepared the ground for the future health resort. https://www.visitopatija.com/en/villa-angiolina-learn-about-the-role-of-tourism-in-the-history-of-opatija-p471

Zadar has a unique combination of architecture and music, the wordly known Sea Organ. It is located next to the installation Greeting to the Sun, and it represents an organ whose sound is produced under the influence of the energy of the sea, rather waves and tides. The Sea Organ has been gently formed out of stone and returned to the sea. It stretches out on a surface of seventy meters of Zadar's coast, under which on the level of the lowest seated 35 pipes of different lengths, diameters and descent are installed. When the most beautiful sunset illuminates the waterfront, the play of light of the Greeting to the Sun accompanies the rhythm of waves and the sounds of the Sea Organ. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/sea-organ

On the glass face of the Archeological Museum in Zadar, you can see the reflection of the Forum and Saint Donatus, with which the Museum is unbreakably connected. Since 1880 works of protection and restoration have been done in Saint-Donat with the idea to place the Archeological Museum in it. The Archeological Museum is the oldest museum in Zadar and the second oldest in Croatia. It was founded in 1832., and today it keeps more than 100.000 archaeological objects from all the cultural and historical periods from the Paleolithic to the end of 11th century. The museum has its journal and for almost 60 years in a preparatory workshop, it has been producing hand-made souvenirs- amphoras, recipients, fibulas (brooches), jewellery and other valuable museum material. https://zadar.travel/attractions/museums/archeological-museum

Everything that ever mattered in Zadar, since the medieval period, happened or was heard of on the People's Square. It is the centre of urban life, a source that sucks you in with its energy and beauty, and then leaves the people passing-by to some of the other urban sensations. The People's Square in Zadar is the medieval Platea Magna, the centre of life and nowadays centre of town administration together with the City Loggia. From the People's square all the ways lead in all directions; to the Kalelarga, the Waterfront, the Five Wells Square or to the market and fish market. In The City Loggia on People's Square, that was built already in the 13th century, Zadar inhabitants have been gathering and have been discussing the most important city matters, while on the other side can be found the City Guard from the second half of the 16th century with a watch on a tower that has been in function incessantly since 1803. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/peoples-square

The forum in Zadar has been built by the first Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian of what the inscriptions in stone dating back to the 3rd century give evidence when the construction came to an end. It was once closed by a portico with galleries on the first floor, and under the portico there were shops. Since the first century B.C. the forum has been the main gathering place for Roman soldiers, religious people, bureaucrats of the Republic and later of the Empire, as also for traders and all Zadar citizens in ancient times. In the time of its full glory, the forum was surrounded from three sides by a magnificent portico. It is indispensable for a walk and also one of the symbols of the city. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/forum

The Croatian National Theatre has its ensemble that was founded 14 years ago when it starts with professional productions with Zadar acting forces. It has a prepaid and not prepaid programme as also the Zadar Theatre Summer. Croatian medieval liturgical dramas and liturgical games have been performed in Zadar already in the 11th century, so it is since then that begins the history of Croatian theatre. The first modern theatre dates back to the year 1783 (Nobile Teatro), while the New Theatre from the year 1865 was the most beautiful theatre building in Zadar. The first professional theatre from 1945 carries the name National theatre (Narodno kazalište), and today Croatian National Theatre (Hrvatsko narodno kazalište) Zadar. The total percentage of visits to its programmes is 85 per cent. https://zadar.travel/attractions/attractions/croatian-national-theatre