After spending a week in the historical center of Zadar, we decided this 3,000-year-old city was one of our favorite places in Croatia. Situated on the Adriatic Sea, it is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the country. 

People’s Square – As in most towns, Zadar’s original central square includes a perimeter of government buildings and cafes with plenty of outdoor seating. The City Sentinel occupies the west side of the square and our tour guide emphasized the structure’s two distinct architectural styles. The building dates back to 1562 and the clock tower was added during the Austrian rule in 1798. The building on the north side houses the current city hall.

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Roman Forum – Emperor Augustus created the large gathering place at the turn of the first century and it is still the largest Roman forum east of the Adriatic Sea. Excavation in the 1930s uncovered the site, but unfortunately bombs damaged some of the relics during World War II. We walked through the Park of Roman Pieces, an area of the forum that the city converted into a grassy area displaying architectural fragments.

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Column of Shame – Still standing at the west end of the Roman Forum, the Column of Shame provides insight into how criminals in ancient days were publicly punished. Lawbreakers endured humiliation and ridicule while chained to the stone pillar.

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Church of St. Donatus – In the early part of the 9th century, Bishop Donatus commissioned the construction of a circular Byzantine-style church. The artisans recycled columns and paving slabs from the over 800-year-old Roman Forum. Fortunately the unique structure survived the Mongol invasion during the 13th century and worshippers attended religious services there until the 1800s. Unfortunately, we were two months too late to enjoy the church’s exceptional acoustics during the annual summer concert series.

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Tower of St. Strosija – The 55-meter-tall bell tower stands beside the Church of St. Donatus, but technically belongs to the Cathedral of St. Anastasia. The tower, built at the back of the cathedral, was constructed in two stages. The first two floors were completed in the middle of the 15th century. Four hundred years later builders added the three upper floors. The brass angel at the top rotates according to the direction of the wind. 

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Cathedral of St. Anastasia – We walked past the 13th century cathedral several times a day on the way to and from our apartment. It was often closed to visitors, but one morning we noticed the doors were open. So, we took a quick look inside at the very detailed interior. The cathedral, which is the largest church in the country’s coastal region, sustained extensive damage from bombs during World War II and has since been repaired. 

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Church of St. Elias the Prophet – We would have missed this small and very beautiful church if our tour guide had pointed it out to us. The Eastern Orthodox church, built in late baroque style at the end of the 18th century, faces a narrow side street. So it’s easy to not even notice the building.

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Five Wells Square – The wells, constructed in 1574 above a large cistern, provided drinking water for the city for almost 300 years. 

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Church of St. Simeon – Based on our tour guide’s recommendation, we really wanted to see the inside of this 17th-century baroque church. Most days it was closed, but on our last evening in Zadar the doors opened for of a wedding ceremony. Just before the wedding party and guests arrived we stood at the entrance to get a peak and just one photo of the 14th century, gold-plated coffin of St. Simeon above the main altar.

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Land Gate – We walked several times to the Land Gate at the east end of Zadar’s historical center. The gate, built in the mid 1500s to celebrate the naval victory against the Ottoman Empire, includes the Venetian symbol of the lion of St. Mark and St. Chrysogonus on horseback. Above the two outer arches we saw the coats of arms of the Venetian Republic and the City of Zadar. Surprisingly, the interior side of the gate is quite plain.

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Sea Gate – Like the Land Gate, the formal, port-side entrance was constructed to celebrate victory over the Turks in the 16th century. The image of Chrysogonus, Zadar’s patron saint, occupies a more prominent position in this gate, however.

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Sea Organ – The marble steps leading down to the water at the west end of the promenade sit just above 35 organ pipes. Created in 2005 by Nikola Basic, the soothing sounds result from the ebb and flow of the water and can sometimes be heard in the People’s Square. We enjoyed listening to the musical notes while sitting on the nearby bench, which resembles a piano keyboard.

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Greeting to the Sun – Right next to the Sea Organ is another of Basic’s masterpieces, a circular depiction of the solar system. During the day the photovoltaic cells recharge with solar energy to illuminate the vibrant light display starting at sunset. We were especially entertained by the young children playing in the colorful lights. 

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