Most people who explore this little town on an island don't stay overnight, but visit as part of a 1-day outing. Nin is connected to the mainland by a couple of stone pedestrian bridges (Gornji most and Donji most) and there aren't many facilities for housing tourists in town. In addition, there isn't a lot to do in Nin except explore the historic churches and a few shops, and rub the toe of yet another Mestrovic statue of Grgur of Nin for luck. Nonetheless, the little town that once was an important center of Catholicism in medieval times is alluring.
Nin thrived during Roman times and became a municipality at the end of the 1st century under the Emperor Augustus. As with most Roman settlements, Nin had its own Forum, an amphitheater, and a temple that is the largest discovered in Croatia so far.
The Romans kept control of Nin until the 7th century, when the Avars and Slavs appeared on the scene, but the invaders didn't completely destroy the town and it managed to maintain its way of life to a degree. From then on, Nin developed culturally and politically and became a center of church activity and a headquarters for some of Croatia's kings and bishops. When the Venetians conquered most of the Dalmatian coast in 1409, Nin was included in the takeover. A century later, Nin became the target of Turkish attacks, and in 1570, Venice destroyed most of the city rather than let it become an enemy stronghold. Nin was rebuilt at the start of the 18th century, but it did not regain its former glory.
