Biograd na moru
Biograd na Moru, abbreviated simply Biograd, is a city in northern Dalmatia. It is located in the Pašman Bay, and it is about 30 kilometers from Zadar. The original name of the city is fully translated as “white city on the sea”. It is significant because it was one of the capitals of the medieval Kingdom of Croatia. Biograd is administratively part of Zadar County. The name was first mentioned in the 10th century as a city founded by Croats, and at that time it was one of the most important cities and the capital of most Croatian rulers, such as Stjepan Držislav and Petar Krešimir IV. In 1102, Koloman of Hungary was crowned in it, which officially made Croatia a member of the Kingdom of Hungary. When the crusaders from the Fourth Crusade captured the city of Zadar (then Jadar) in 1202, many of its citizens took refuge in Biograd, which was then known as New Zadar (or Jadra Nova). Two years later, most of them go back to Zadar, after which the city is also called Stari Zadar.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the town was governed by the princes of Cetinje, the Knights Templar of Vranje and the princes of Dubići from Bribir. The Republic of Venice bought it in 1409 and it will remain in its possession until its fall in 1797. In the Venetian-Turkish wars, the city suffered heavily on two occasions (in 1521 and 1646), and then it was significantly destroyed and burned. In the 16th and 17th centuries, a Croatian militia was formed in Biograd na Moru, which later often participated in wars against the Turks. After numerous war casualties, the importance of the city declined to a certain extent and remained so until the beginning of the 19th century, when it was under French rule, which granted it a municipality and a court, and thus the development of the city. In recent history, Serbian forces inflicted significant damage on the city by long-range bombing in the period from 1991 to 1993 during the Homeland War.
According to the latest population census from 2021, Biograd na Moru today has 5,601 inhabitants. It is located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, overlooking the island of Pašman, near Vodice and Šibenik. The city’s economy is based on agriculture, fishing and tourism, and at the same time it is the micro-regional center of the surrounding towns and municipalities on the Riviera. It is a city that today has developed to a size suitable for a comfortable life for an individual, surrounded by modern marinas and a waterfront.
The settlements that are administratively part of the municipality of Biograd na Moru are the municipalities of Pakoštane, Pašman, Sveti Filip i Jakov and Tkon. Biograd na Moru is also a local commercial and transport center that has very good transport connections to its hinterland, the surrounding coastal towns and the island of Pašman.
Considering the rich history and culture, Biograd na Moru has a whole series of sights. During your visit, you should definitely visit the Local Museum of the City of Biograd, which is located on the site of the ruins of the medieval walls from the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. The Museum houses a rich archaeological and ethnographic collection, a historical section and numerous artistic paintings. It is also recommended to visit the church of St. Stošija, church of St. Ante, to the church of St. Roka and the remains of the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist from the 11th century.
It is also necessary to mention the touristic development of the city, which began between the two world wars. Among the first guests are the Czechs who visited the city in the 1920s. Soon, the first hotel was built in 1935, which was in the area of today’s Hotel Ilirija.