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THE
TALE OF THE CITY
Zadar's
main characteristic which makes it very special in the history
of this region of Dalmatia is its urban structure which has
continually existed for two thousand years. This makes it
one of the oldest cities in Croatia as well as in the whole
Adriatic region. Its long and dinamic history is like a mirror
of the fate of mankind's existence on the eastern coast of
the Adriatic. The first findings of early culture date from
the older Stone Age while the first settlements date from
the Neolithic period. Settlements of an ancient Mediterranean
people from whose language very probably comes the word of
the settlement itself: Jader, Jadra or Jadera are known to
have been made here even before the Illirian tribes came.
The first writings can be found in the 4th century B.C. in
the descriptions of the eastern coast of the Adriatic in which
the Greek geographer Skaraianderis writes about the settlement
of Jader and calls the settlers Jadasins. In the middle of
the 2nd century B.C. the region of Zadar was conquered by
the Romans. In that period the city was regulated according
to Roman urban conception rules. Five horizontal and a large
number of vertical streets formed the urban network of communication.
The main square - the Forum was built along the border of
the network of streets west of the peninsula. Next to it a
Capitol with a temple was built. A new religion developed
in Zadar in the period from the 4th to the 6th centuries -
Christianity.
In the 6th century there was an earthquake in Zadar and whole
complexes of monumental architecture were destroyed. Fragments
of this architecture were used in the 9th century to build
a monumental structure on the Roman Forum itself, the Church
of the Holy Trinity, which, from the 15th century onwards,
is called the Church of Saint Donat. Today, even though it
is exempt of any religious functions, the church dominates
the central urban nucleus and it is the symbol of the city
of Zadar. St. Donat has extraordinary acoustical characteristics
so that for 40 years now concerts have been taking place in
it. The concerts are the international "Musical Evening in
St. Donat" and the music played is mainly Medieval or Renaissance
music.
The
period from the 11th to the 14th century was the golden Age
of Zadar. Medieval Zadar was a city of brilliant architecture.
Some of the examples from the period:
- The
monastery of St. Grisogone now known as the church of St.
Grisogone has an altar from the 17th century and this was
built as an ex-voto of the citizens of Zadar against the
plague. Inside the church there are four statues made of
white marble representing the patron saints of Zadar: St.
Anastasia, St. Zoilo, St. Grisogone and St. Simon.
-
The Convent of St. Mary, Benedictine order of nuns, was
founded in 1066 by a noblewoman from Zadar, Cika. Some sources
say that she was the half-sister of King Krešimir IV. A
building was built, attached to the convent, which is a
museum and is called the Gold and Silver of the city of
Zadar. The collection is that of very special objects of
art from the churches of Zadar as well as reliquaries made
of silver and covered with gold. The museum is unique in
its kind in Croatia and one of the best in Europe.
- The
Romanesque cathedral of St. Anastasia contains magnificent
Gothic 15th century choir stalls made of wood. The cathedral
also contains the marble sarcophagus of St. Anastasia from
the 9th century, while the crypt of the cathedral contains
the reliquaries of St. Agapta, Hlonia and Irene.
Even
though the city of Zadar was devastated and plundered many
times its monasteries still treasure works of art among which
the silver coffer of Saint Simon must be emphasized. This
coffer was ordered in the 14th century by the Austro-Hungarian
Queen Elisabeth. At that time, in 1396, Zadar was also the
first city with a university. The best Venetian builders,
Baglione and Sanmicheli, as well as the army commander Pallavicino,
build a whole system of fortifications with pentagonal bastions,
defense canals filled with sea and big new town cisterns which
made Zadar the biggest and strongest town-fortification in
the Venetian Republic. Inside the fortifications the first
Croatian novel called "Planine" was written by a writer from
Nin, Petar Zoranic. The fortifications surrounded the town
until 1868, when, by decree of the imperial authorities, Zadar
stopped being a fortified town. The bastions and walls on
the northern side of the town were taken down and a quay was
built while on the southwest side a quay and promenade were
built.
During
the Second World War the city of Zadar suffered great destruction
so that 65% of the city was ruined and burned. After the fifties,
thanks to the vitality of its citizens, Zadar started developing
quickly. Today there is the Adriatic road across Lika to Zagreb,
the railway passing through Knin and the airport of Zadar,
all of which have made Zadar integrate into the tissue of
the Croatian fatherland. The building of a cargo harbour and
the regular ferry connections with Italy have greatly improved
Zadar's sea connections. Therefore, whichever way you come
to Zadar, by land, sea or air, the city awaits you as a dear
guest, a close friend and a good aquaintance. It is a great
pleasure for Hotel President to be your host during your stay
in this beautiful Mediterranean town.
More
information on Zadar:
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