History Zadar Croatia Europe

The history of Zadar is a history of a city that dates back through over 1000 years b.c. and stayed until the Roman Empire extended throughout the coast of Croatia. Since then untiil our days, Zadar is just a reflection of the history of Croatia, with Romans, Byzantines, Napoleon invasion, two world wars, and a civil war on its back.

Zadar was converted into a municipality 50 years before our era, during the Roman occupation of the region. After, it was the seat of the Bishopric Romans. After that it was baptized as Diodora under the Ottoman Empire. During the 7th century, it was the capital of the Province of Dalmatia. Iadera was its first name during the Roman period, which was a Latin name.

In the 9th century b.c., these lands were home to the Greeks and of the Romans, that was then called Zadar, an important place of economy, of trade, an a settlement with a population of about 2000 inhabitants.

Two centuries before our era, Iadera was conquered by the Romans, and little by little it became part of the Dalmatian Coast, also ruled by the Roman Empire.

The Carolingian also came through these lands and settled here around the 10th century, a little before the city passed hands to the Republic of Venice. Later came conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Empire of Hungary for the power over this region.

In the 13th century, the city began to fight for its liberty, but instead kept getting passed hands from the Venicians to the Hungarians. In the 16th century, it became part of the Ottoman Empire, and after came the Napoleon Invasion in the 18th century. After that, it passed hands again to the Austrians, and during this time, Zadar was the capital of Dalmatia. In the 19th century, the city was reborn again under its Croatian identity. Though the land kept getting passed around, and suffered during WWI and WWII. During WWII, Zadar was invaded by Hitler's army in 1941, and all of Yugoslavia too, from Mostar, Sibenik, Split, Dubrovnik, and Zadar. The civilians were evacuated to Ancona and Pula, and in 1947, at the end of the war, Zadar and Croatia annexed themselves to Yugoslavia, under the rule of Tito.

After the war in 1995, Zadar became a tourist reference, a situation in which today we can enjoy, as the city has advanced so much, that it has become one of the best places on the Dalmatia Coast to visit.