Introduction to Zadar

Zadar has had its ups and downs through the ages, and over time this beautiful city by the sea suffered grave wounds at the hands of the same factions that aspired to control it. However, today's Zadar seems to have shaken off most of its injuries, though the healing process is ongoing.

Despite frequent reconstruction, Zadar remains a city brimming with more than 3,000 years of history and culture. Like most cities on the Dalmatian coast, Zadar evolved from a prehistoric settlement to an Illyrian village to a Roman municipality, and survived other incarnations involving administrative changes and foreign assaults that finally ended with the city's liberation and reunion with Croatia in 1993.

Zadar is first mentioned in 9th-century writings as the residence of Bishop Donat, the cleric who built the Church of the Holy Trinity in the former Roman Forum, remains of which lie next to the cathedral. Today that 9th-century church is known as St. Donatus to honor Bishop Donat, and it has become the city's symbol. After the construction of St. Donatus, many other churches were built in Zadar, making it a center of Roman Catholicism.

When Venice tried to capture every city on the Dalmatian coast starting in the late 10th century (it finally succeeded in the 15th c.), Zadar fought back harder than any other municipality. From 1096 to 1346, Zadar was conquered and liberated an incredible seven times and taken over six more times until it was sold in 1409 to Venice by King Ladislav of Naples, who was Zadar's ruler du jour. Following the sale, Venice had authority over Zadar for almost 4 centuries until 1797. During that time, the Venetians developed the city and its economy, but only to the extent that those efforts benefited Venice.

Eventually, the Venetians were driven out, and for 120 years or so after that Zadar was governed by Austria (with a short stint of French rule), a regime that ended with World War I but did not end Zadar's occupation. From 1920 to 1944 Zadar was governed by Italy and forced to accept Italian acculturation, though many citizens left rather than become "Italianized."

During World War II, Zadar was almost destroyed by Allied forces, though it was mostly rebuilt during the postwar Yugoslavia era. Then, during the 1991 war, the city took another devastating hit when Serb forces cut the city off from Zagreb and reduced it to rubble once again. The Croatian army at last liberated Zadar in 1993 and the outlying areas in 1995.

Today's Zadar is an exceptional mix of new and old architecture and a diverse mix of cultures. It is also fiercely nationalistic, a characteristic that took hold while the city was isolated from the rest of Croatia by the Serbs.

Cherries in a Glass -- Before you leave Zadar, try the local drink that has become one of the city's specialties. Maraschino is a drink made from a unique variety of maraska cherry grown in the region, and it can be had in alcoholic or nonalcoholic forms. According to legend, alcoholic Maraschino, usually a treacly sweet cherry liqueur, was first made by monks in the 16th century and was thought to improve the disposition. Today the liqueur is made in Zadar in a factory near the footbridge.