Francais | English | Espanõl

Zadar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Zadar

Coat of arms of Zadar
Location 44°6′51″N, 15°13′40″E
Mayor Dr. Zivko Kolega
Surface (km²)  ?
Population
(2006)		 71 688 [1]
Time zone (UTC) UTC+1 Central European Time

For other uses, see Zadar (disambiguation).

Zadar (Italian Zara, Latin Iader or Iadera) is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea, with a population of 71,000 (2005). Absolute majority of its citizens are Croats with 92.77% (2001 census).

It is the centre of modern Croatia's Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Zadar is located opposite the islands of Ugljan and Pašman, from which it is separated by the narrow Zadar Strait.

The promontory on which the old city stands used to be separated from the mainland by a deep moat which has since become a landfill. The harbor, to the north-east of the town, is safe and spacious.

Zadar is the seat of a Catholic and an Orthodox bishop.

Zadar on the map of Croatia


Contents

[edit] History

In the 9th century BC Iadera was settled by the Liburnians, a tribe of Illyrians. After 59 BC Iadera (also spelled Jadera) became a Roman municipium, and in 48 BC a colony of Roman citizens. In the early days of the Roman empire Iadera was a flourishing Roman colony; its name was subsequently changed to Diadora. It maintained its municipal autonomy throughout the Middle Ages. During this time (and until the formation of Yugoslavia after the first World War) it was known as Zara. Upon the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the destruction of Salona in the early 7th century, Zadar became the capital of the Byzantine province of Dalmatia, as well as the governor's headquarters.

In the early 9th century it came under the Franks, while it was given back to Byzantium in 812, under the Peace Treaty of Aachen. In 925, King Tomislav (before, he was the Duke of Croatian Dalmatia) united Dalmatia and Pannonia to expand the Croatian kingdom. In 998, the city sought Venetian protection; for the next four centuries it was formally under Venetian or Hungarian rule, changing hands repeatedly. In the 10th, and especially in the 11th century, although it survived the migration of Slavs, the rulers of the town were the Croats. From 1105, when it recognized the rule of the first Hungarian-Croatian king Coloman, Zadar began to be involved in frequent wars with Venice.

Zadar was under the Republic of Venice between 1111 and 1154 and between 1160 and 1183. An annalist from the year 1177 noted that the joyous people of Zadar accompanying Pope Alexander III on his way to the basilica sang songs of praise 'in their native Slavic language'. It was taken by the Venetians and mainly French knights of the Fourth Crusade in 1202. The Crusaders had promised the Venetians a certain amount of money to pay for ships for transport to Egypt, but when they could not pay, the Venetians diverted the Crusade to Zadar. King Emeric of Hungary had declared that he would join the Crusade, and there was a controversy among the knights and clergy over whether or not a supposedly divine army could attack a fellow Christian. Nevertheless, Zadar was destroyed and taken, and Pope Innocent III excommunicated everyone involved.

After several insurrections (1242-1243, 1320s, 1345-1346), Zadar came under the rule of the Hungarian-Croatian king Louis I (under the Zadar Peace Treaty in 1358). After the death of Louis, Zadar recognized the rule of king Sigismund, and after him, that of Ladislas of Naples, who in 1409 sold Zadar and "his rights" on Dalmatia to Venice for 100,000 ducats.

From this time on Zadar started to decline, because the Venetians considerably limited the town's political and economic autonomy. When in the early 16th century the Ottoman Turks conquered its hinterland, the town became an important stronghold protecting Venetian trade in the Adriatic, as well as the administrative centre of the Venetian possessions in Dalmatia and a cultural centre. From 1726-1733 a part of its territory was settled by Catholic Albanian refugees. That Albanian settlement is called "Arbanasi".

Panoramic view of the city After the fall of Venice (1797) with the Treaty of Campo Formio, Zadar came under Austrian rule under which it remained until 1918, except for the period of French rule (1805-1813), all this time remaining the capital of Dalmatia, under Austria being the meeting-place of the provincial diet.

During the Napoleonic period, under French rule, the first newspaper using the Croatian language, Il Regio Dalmata-Kraglski Dalmatin, was published in Zadar (1806-1810). In the second half of the 19th century, the city was a centre of the movement for cultural and national revival in Dalmatia. Its population in 1900, of town and commune, was 32,506; including an Austrian garrison of 1330.

However, under the Treaty of Rapallo (1920), Zadar was ceded to Italy. At this time many of the Croatian population were harshly treated, as a result of which most of them left for Yugoslavia.

Nazi Germany occupied the city in World War II, as it was once one of the best-fortified cities in the world, and Zadar was bombed 72 times by the air forces of Britain and the United States. Afterwards it became a part of Yugoslavia. The Italian population left for Italy, among them Ottavio Missoni, owner of the renowned fashion company Missoni.

Image:Coat of Arms Zara.jpg

Since World War II the city has developed as a strong economic and tourist center. In 1991, attacks on Serbian civilians occurred, culminating in the Zadar Kristallnacht where over 350 Serbian shops and houses were destroyed. Later, during the Croatian War of Independence, the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) along with Serb paramilitaries converged on the city and it found itself as the subject of shelling. Connections with the capital Zagreb were severed for over a year, the only link being via the island of Pag. Zadar was once again damaged in the war, including its historical bastions and churches. The siege of the city lasted until January 1993 when Zadar again came under the control of Croatian forces. Attacks on the city continued until the end of the war in Croatia in 1995.

[edit] Main sights

[edit] Architecture

Zadar gained its urban structure in Roman times; during the time of Julius Caesar and Emperor Augustus, the town was fortified and the city walls with towers and gates were built. On the western side of the town were the forum, the basilica and the temple, while outside the town were the amphitheatre and cemeteries. The aqueduct which was supplying the town with water has been partly preserved. Inside the ancient town, a medieval town had developed, when a series of churches and monasteries had been built.

During the Middle Ages, Zadar had fully gained its urban aspect, which has been maintained until today. In the 16th century, Venice fortified the town with a new system of defensive walls on the side facing land. In the first half of the 16th century, architectural building in the Renaissance style was continued. Defence trenches were built also (Foša), which were completely buried during the Italian occupation. In 1873 under rule Austrian rule the ramparts of Zadar were converted from fortifications into elevated promenades commanding extensive views to seaward and to landward, wall lines thus being preserved ; of its four old gates one, the Porta Marina, incorporates the relics of a Roman arch, and another, the Porta di Terraferma, was designed in the 16th century by the Veronese artist Sanmichele. In the bombardments during the Second World War, entire blocks were destroyed, but some of the structures were preserved.

Image:Zadar - église Saint-Donat.jpg
Image:Zadar.St.Stosija.j1.jpg

Most important landmarks:

The chief interest of Zadar lies in its churches.

[edit] Culture

The first university of Zadar is mentioned in 1396 and it was a part of the Benedictine monastery. It closed in 1807.

Zadar was, along with Dubrovnik, one of the centres of development of Croatian literature.

The 15th and the 16th centuries were marked by important activities of Croatian writers writing in the national language: Jerolim Vidolić, Petar Zoranić (who wrote first Croatian novel "Mountains"), Brne Krnarutić, Juraj Barakovic, Šime Budinić.

During the French rule (1806-1810), the first Dalmatian newspaper Il Regio Dalmata-Kraglski Dalmatin was published in Zadar. It was printed in Italian and Croatian; this last used for the first time in a newspaper.

Image:Regio Dalmata.jpg
.

In the second half of the 19th century, Zadar was a centre of the movement for the cultural and national revivals in Dalmatia (Italian and Croatian).

Today Zadar's cultural institutions include:

[edit] Economy

Major industries include tourism, traffic, seaborne trade, agriculture, fishing and fish farming activities, metal manufacturing and mechanical engineering industry, chemicals and non-metal industry and banking. The headquarters of the following companies are located in Zadar:

The farmland just northeast of Zadar, Ravni Kotari, is a well known source of marasca cherries. Distilleries in Zadar have produced Maraschino since the 16th century.

[edit] Science

In 1998, Zadar hosted the Central European Olympiad in Informatics (CEOI).

[edit] Sports

The local basketball club is KK Zadar, and the football club NK Zadar. The bowling club Kuglački klub Zadar is also very successful.

[edit] Twinning

Zadar maintains cultural, economic and educational ties with:

[edit] Famous people from Zadar

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

[edit] Gallery

St. Donat's Church and Roman Forum
St. Donat's Church
Roman Forum in Zadar
St. Anastasia Cathedral in Zadar
St. Mary's Church
St. Simeon's Church
St. Simeon/Sv. Šime
Morska vrata/Porta marina
Porta Terraferma
University of Zadar (1396)

<span class="FA" id="hr" style="display:none;" />


bs:Zadar bg:Задар ca:Zadar cs:Zadar da:Zadar de:Zadar et:Zadar el:Ζαντάρ fr:Zadar gl:Zadar ko:자다르 hr:Zadar it:Zara lv:Zadara lt:Zadaras hu:Zára mk:Задар nl:Zadar (plaats) ja:ザダル pl:Zadar pt:Zadar ro:Zadar ru:Задар sk:Zadar sr:Задар sh:Zadar fi:Zadar sv:Zadar

Retrieved from "http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/Zadar"
Views
Personal tools
Navigation
Toolbox