Dubrovnik and Dalmacija travel guide

Narodni Trg
This busy square (above), once the
centre of Venetian Zadar, boasts a brace
of pavement cafés and a Venetian-style
town hall with a loggia and a 16th-century
guard house. During the summer, there
is often an arts and crafts market here.
Zadar
Old Town
Široka
Due to bombing
during World War II, this
main artery through the
old town features more
than its fair share of
bland, 1950s concrete
buildings. But it also has
chic cafés and shops that
teem with life in the
evening and at weekends.
Roman Forum
Little of this ancient
forum remains, as many
of its stones were used
as building blocks for the
rest of the old town. A
pillar, where criminals
were once flogged, still
stands, along with a
scattering of odd pieces
of carved stonework.
Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Coast
Archeological
Museum
Sited on the Roman
Forum, the collections
here feature various finds
from the city and
surrounding area, which
document a swathe of
Zadar’s heritage from the
Stone Age right through
to the 11th century.
Church of
St Donat
Also on the
Roman Forum,
this 9th-century
church (right) is
Croatia’s largest
Byzantine building. The
unusual circular design
gives it great acoustics
for the summer concerts
that are held here.
Cathedral of
St Anastasia
Just north of St Donat’s
is this Romanesque
cathedral, founded in the
9th century. The present
structure dates from the
12th–13th centuries.
The belltower was
completed as late
as 1893.
Church of
St Elijah
Orthodox since
the 18th century,
this modest
church stands in
the small Serb
enclave of the old town;
itself worth a wander
around. The collection of
16th–19th-century icons
held here is impressive.
The Siege of Zadar
As war engulfed the
fledgling Croatian
Republic in August 1991,
Yugoslav Army forces
and Serb irregulars
descended on Zadar,
which lay perilously close
to the disputed Krajina
region, where Serbs had
declared autonomy.
They quickly captured
the outskirts and the
city’s airport, but hastily
marshalled Croat forces
managed to avert the
fall of the city. A brutal
siege ensued, and it took
the UN three months to
broker a ceasefire. Even
so, the shelling of Zadar
continued until hostilities
finally ceased in 1995.
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