Zadar: Encyclopedia II - Zadar - Cultural Heritage

Zadar - Cultural Heritage

Zadar - Architecture

Zadar gained its urban structure in Roman times; during the time of Emperors Julius Caesar and 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 mediaeval 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. Although in the second half of the 19th century by rule of Austria fortifications were destroyed, wall lines have been preserved until today. In the bombardments during the Second World War, entire blocks were destroyed, but some of the structures were preserved.

Most important landmarks:

• Roman Forum - the largest on the eastern side of the Adriatic, founded by the first Roman Emperor Augustus, to which two stone inscriptions about its completion dating from the 3rd century testify.
• Aqueduct
• St. Donatus' Church - the monumental building in the pre Romanesque style from 9th century
• St. Anastasia's Cathedral, basilica in Romanesque style built in the 12th to 13th century
• St. Stošija's Church - ended in the high Romanesque style period, largest cathedral in Dalmatia.
• St. Krševan's Church - monumental Romanesque church of very fine proportions and refined Romanesque ornaments.
• St. Ilija's Church (St. Elias)
• St. Francis' Church, gothic styled church, site of the signing of the Zadar Peace Treaty 1358
• Five Wells Square
• St. Mary's Church which belongs to a Benedictine Convent founded in 1066 by a noblewoman of Zadar by the name of Cika with The Permanent Ecclesiastical Art Exhibition "The Gold and Silver of Zadar"
• Citadel - built in 1409, southwest of the Land gate, it has remained the same to this day.
• The Land Gate - built according to a layout of the Venetian architect Michele Sanmicheli in 1543
• The sea organ

Zadar - Literature

Zadar was, besides Dubrovnik, one of the centres of development of Croatian language and culture. A 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'. The first university mentioned in 1396 was a part of the Benedictine monastery.

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, the first newspaper in the Croatian language, Kraljski Dalmatin, was published in Zadar (1806-1810). In the second half of the 19th century, Zadar was a centre of the movement for the cultural and national revival in Dalmatia.

Today's Zadar's cultural instutions:

• The Croatian Theatre House
• The National Museum
• The Archaeological Museum (established in 1830)
• The University of Zadar (founded in 1396)
• The Maritime Museum
• Permanent Exhibition of Sacral Art
• Croatian Singing Musical Society Zoranić (established 1885)
• Musical Evenings in St. Donatus (established 1961)
• International Choir Competition (established 1997)

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Cultural Heritage", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki