Zadar History Facts and Timeline

(Zadar, Northern Dalmatia, Croatia)

This city is widely regarded as being the historical centre of Croatia's Dalmatia region. Like most cities on the Adriatic coastline, the history of Zadar began centuries ago as a settlement for maritime trade in the Mediterranean region.

The city has an interesting timeline on display, from the ruins of the Roman Forum to historical Byzantine churches. Though its modern era has been fraught with regional discord, Zadar remains one of the highlights of Croatia.

The Liburnians

Where the Old Town of Zadar stands today, the Liburnians established a port town on a narrow rocky islet in the 7th century BC. Tucked into the shadows of antiquity, the Liburnians were one of the great sailing and merchant societies of the ancient world. The main town of Zadar was a major hub for maritime trade on the Mediterranean between the Etruscans, the Greeks and also the Phoenicians. During the centuries that followed, the Liburnians maintained economic and political power over the region thanks to their naval supremacy.

Roman Outpost

When the Romans began invading the Dalmatian region in the 2nd century BC, the Liburnians sat on the sidelines and let the Romans battle with the Illyrians for more than two centuries. Eventually the history of Zadar was absorbed into the Roman Empire under Julius Caesar in the year of 59 BC, and from then on it became a forced ally for Roman naval adventures in the area.

Within a couple of decades, Zadar had given over its once-dominant naval fleet to Rome. The city developed its Roman character and flourished into one of the eastern Adriatic's most popular ports. It remained an important Roman outpost for centuries, and its Forum and lengthy 40-km / 25-mile aqueduct are still visible today.

Byzantines and Croats

When the Roman Empire fell, Zadar was ravaged by the Huns and the Goths, before Byzantine emperor Justinian the Great began his crusade of 536 AD, reconquering the Western Empire. This era saw some important building work in Zadar's history, such as St. Donatus Church in the 9th century, and the city became the capital of Byzantine Dalmatia. Eventually the city became part of the Croato-Hungarian State.

Venetian Threat

The sea has always been tied to the history of Zadar and the city wielded major influence over maritime trade during the Middle Ages. By the 12th century, Venice had grown into a serious regional challenger and relentlessly assaulted Zadar, eventually sacking the city at the beginning of the 13th century.

The citizens tried to rebel against the Venetians on a number of different occasions, often with the assistance of the Croatian-Hungarian kings of the 13th and 14th centuries. Eventually, in the year of 1409, the city was sold to Venice, along with the rest of Dalmatia.

The City Gets Passed Around

In response to Turkish threats, the Venetians built defensive city walls in the 16th century. When Venice itself finally fell at the end of the 18th century, ownership of the city was passed between the Austrians and the French for several decades. The Austrians imported Italians to administer the city, and so Italian culture had a lasting influence on the history of Zadar well into the 1900s.

Zadar was excluded from the newly formed Kingdom of Yugoslavia, remaining an Italian province through WWI and WWII. When the Allies forced Italy out of Dalmatia in 1943, they bombed more than half of the city's Old Town to dust. The city was rebuilt following the original street layout, meaning that today's visitors can still enjoy the narrow pedestrian streets of the historic core. The immense 16th-century Venetian fortifications continue to protect Zadar on its landward flanks, suggesting the legacy of conquest that this city has endured over much of its modern history.