TRIPS

BEACHES

From the house where the APARTMENTS BOSI I GOLI are located, the beach is only 80m away along an asphalt path!!!

The beaches are rocky, pebble, concrete, earthen... Choose what you like. There are trees on the beaches for shade, so you don't have to carry your own umbrella. They are ideal for all ages, from small children to adults and seniors.

On the other side of Starigrad, next to the Večka Tower, there is a well-maintained city pebble beach JAZ with facilities for children and recreation.

The nearest sandy beach is in Modrič.

KAYAK AND SUP

USE OF SIT-ON-TOP KAYAKS AND SUPS IS COMPLETELY FREE FOR OUR GUESTS!!!

SUP

Stand-up paddling has become an increasingly popular water sport in recent years for people of all ages. Despite its modern popularity, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) has long-standing roots. Stand-up paddle boarding most likely made its modern debut in Waikiki, Hawaii in the 1940s, where local surfers used a canoe paddle to make it easier to ride waves and reduce the extra pressure on their knees. They began teaching tourists the technique, and soon stand-up paddle boarding caught on.

HEALTH: Stand-up paddle boarding offers a number of health benefits. For example, a 2016 study conducted on previously untrained SUPers found cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and psychological improvements after three one-hour sessions over a 6-week period. It improves core muscle endurance and reduces lower back pain. You’ll also notice improved balance and increased core strength as your muscles work to stabilize your board. The study found significant aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen) benefits, as well as positive effects on both your cardiovascular system and your fitness and strength. The nature of SUP activity can serve as a beneficial cross-training workout. It can improve mental health. Being in “blue space,” such as rivers and coastal waters, reduces negative emotions. In addition, it increases vitamin D from sun exposure. It can promote weight loss.

BODY: SUP is a full-body workout that activates many muscles throughout your body. Your muscle groups work together at once during each stroke. A study on muscle activation during a SUP session analyzed the movement of the stroke through the catch, pull, release, and recovery phases. It found that certain muscle groups work in a complementary way during the stroke. There was a difference in muscle activation between standing and sitting positions. For example, the biceps were used more in a kneeling position, compared to the obliques, which were used more while standing. The study clearly shows the variety of muscles in action during SUP, including the biceps, obliques, erector spinae, and even wrist flexors. These findings point to why the sport has the potential to tone and strengthen the entire body.

EQUIPMENT. Along with a SUP board, you’ll need a paddle, a leash, sunscreen, and sometimes even a life jacket. A cap and a t-shirt are recommended. It’s also a good idea to bring drinking water and even snacks, depending on what you can carry on the board and how long you’ll be in the water.

WHICH SUP SHOULD YOU CHOOSE? If you’re considering investing in a stand-up paddleboard, there are multiple options on the market for all budgets, styles, and levels. The hardest part is sifting through all the available shapes, lengths, widths, and even materials to find the right SUP for your needs. For example, inflatable boards are easier to transport and store, while a rigid board provides a more stable surface. If you’re new to SUP, try out a few rentals until you feel comfortable in the water. Then decide which board to buy.

EXERCISES If you’re new to SUP, start with the basics of standing, balancing, falling, and climbing back onto the board. Then you can focus on paddling technique—which includes forward, backward, and swinging motions—until you feel more comfortable on the board. SUP is more of a skill than a specific workout. But there are many ways to challenge yourself on the board. You can start with a board on the shore and work on push-ups, carries, or even some overhead squats. Or you can use the board to focus on surfing waves, which is more difficult. The versatility of this sport means you can incorporate cardio exercises like interval training, yoga poses, and even crunches and planks. Your muscles will also be working twice as hard to stabilize your body in the dynamic movement of the water. The board is also a useful cross-training tool that gets you out of the gym and into nature.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS Don’t attempt anything that will put you or others in danger; and if you’re not yet confident in the water or are entering some rough patches, it’s best to bring a life jacket with you for safety. This is especially important if you’re not a good swimmer. Other things to consider are the weather conditions, avoiding windy or stormy days, and making sure you have a light and whistle with you if you’re heading out into the sunset. Make sure your leash is securely attached to both your ankle and the board to avoid getting separated. And be aware of how far out in the water you’re paddling. You should also keep your distance from other paddlers – there’s plenty of room for everyone. In general, SUP is safe if you are doing this sport for a light workout. Be aware of your surroundings and stick to your limits.

IN BRIEF Paddle boarding can be a great low-intensity exercise that works almost all of your muscle groups. In addition, the physical and mental health benefits of paddle boarding can have a significant impact on your overall well-being. If you’re thinking about trying paddle boarding, be sure to take precautions to stay safe on the water. Be aware of your surroundings, bring a life jacket, and avoid windy days when a storm may occur. Also, keep in mind that paddle boarding can be an intense form of exercise. Talk to your healthcare professional before starting a new exercise regimen.

SIT-ON-TOP KAYAK

SIT-ON-TOP kayaks offer superior stability, safety, and ease of use, making them ideal for beginners, anglers, and recreational paddlers. Their open-deck, self-dumping design allows for easy entry/exit, prevents sinking, and provides comfortable, unrestricted movement.

SAFETY: If you capsize, the kayak won’t fill with water, allowing you to flip it over and get back on without any special skills. They generally have wider, more stable hulls, meaning they’re less rocking and easier to handle than some other models.

ENTRY/EXIT: You can comfortably enter and exit from docks or in shallow water, making them great for swimming or snorkeling.

UNSINKABLE: Drain holes automatically drain water that splashes onto the deck, keeping you safe and comfortable.

FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT: Open decks are not restrictive, allowing for greater comfort, freedom to change positions, and the ability to stand up, which is ideal for fishing.

DRY ROOM: They often come with gear storage, water tanks, and options for mounting accessories like rod holders or fish finders.

DURABILITY: Typically made of rugged molded plastic, they can withstand rough use. These kayaks are perfect for warm weather, casual or recreational activities, and/or fishing-focused trips.

BICYCLES

BIKE USE IS COMPLETELY FREE FOR OUR GUESTS!!!

We currently have 4 bikes that you can use every day, / all day. 2 have a "male frame" 2 have a "female frame".

SAFETY: It would be advisable to have your own bike helmet. Keep in mind that it is summer and that you are in the Mediterranean. This means making sure you have enough water to drink so that you do not dehydrate. Also pay attention to sun protection. A hat, long-sleeved shirt and sunscreen are recommended. Avoid riding in the hottest weather and ride early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Watch out for other road users. Use your bell and lights. Avoid roads with heavy car traffic. Avoid dangerous paths.

TOURIST SHIP

FULL DAY TOURIST BOAT ORION EXCURSION

https://vacation-paklenica.com...

NIKOLINA TEL: + 385 98 13 18 132

DURATION: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (7 hours)

PRICE: €60 adults / €30 children / up to 5 years free (2026)

ITINERARY:

9:00 AM Departure from the center of Starigrad Paklenica,

9:30 AM sailing along the Maslenica Canal under two bridges,

10:00 AM sailing along the Novigrad Sea

10:30 AM sailing along the Zrmanja River Canyon. Overview of locations where the movie Winnetou was filmed.

11:00 Swimming from the boat

12:00 lunch in Ribnica (optional: grilled meat and fish with side dishes, pizza, salad, drinks: welcome aperitif, red and white wine, water and juice)

12:30 Fisheries Museum - Presentation Center of Maritime and Fisheries of the Novigrad Water Area

14:00 Maslenica, free time for swimming, coffee, ice cream, rest...

15:00 Sailing to Starigrad

16:00 return to the port of Starigrad

The price of the excursion includes drinks: juice and water on the boat, lunch and the aforementioned drinks in the restaurant, entrance fee to the Zrmanja Canyon Nature Reserve, skipper.

The itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions.

EQUIPMENT: Bring a bag with: sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, drinking water, T-shirt, swimsuit, towel, camera, money and personal documents.

JEEP SAFARI OVER VELEBIT MOUNTAIN

VELEBIT JEEP SAFARI

A full-day off-road trip through southern Velebit. Enjoy the view of the Adriatic Sea, islands and coast from the heights.

Short off-road rides alternate with breaks for short walks, photography and refreshments. Our guides will teach you about the former life of shepherds, the interesting facts of Velebit and a few other things...

We will climb to 1000 meters above sea level - to the foot of Tulove grede - a very attractive peak with an unusual shape.

We will also visit the filming locations of the films about Winnetou - the legendary Indian chieftain from the pen of Carl May. ("The Little Train Robbery" and "What's a Man Without a Mustache?" also "found" their sets here.)

Unique, slightly harsh landscapes and a stay in untouched nature will provide you with unforgettable moments and relaxation.

The trip is suitable for all ages and is not physically demanding.

https://www.hotel-rajna.com
ul. Dr. F. Tuđmana 105, 23244 Starigrad
Marin MARASOVIĆ
tel: ++385 (0)23 359 121,
mob: ++385 (0)98 272 878,
[email protected]

CANYON VELIKA PAKLENICA - GREAT RESIN CANYON

The largest canyon in Croatia, VELIKA PAKLENICA, was formed during the last ice age when a glacier mechanically carved out a gorge. The rock material from the gorge created a peninsula that the inhabitants of Starigrad used as a field for growing potatoes, grains, fruits and vegetables.

From the Bosi i Goli apartments, drive along the Adriatic Highway to the Tommy supermarket, where you turn left towards Velebit. Just follow the signs for the entrance to the Paklenica National Park. You need to buy a ticket at the NP reception. It is 3,500m to the reception, and from the reception you can drive another 1,800m on the asphalt road to the parking lot. You need to park your car there.

A wide, well-maintained hiking trail leads from the parking lot to the mountain lodge, always alongside the Velika Paklenica stream. It first passes through a section called Klanac, then below Anića Kuk. There are the largest free climbing rocks in Croatia. At the foot are bunkers that were built to protect against a potential attack by the USSR in the 1950s. Today they have an educational and commercial purpose.

After a steep climb, you reach Anić Luka. Continue with a pleasant walk that first passes Markova Mlin, and then Katića Mlin (an old mill that no longer functions). At the water source, you can turn left up the hill to Manita Peć (tickets must be purchased at the entrance to the park. The cave is open to visitors until 1 pm).

After the mills, you pass the Forestry Office, which has now been converted into a restaurant. The Forestry Office is 4 km away. Just before the Forestry Office, you cross a small bridge and continue along the left bank of Velika Paklenica, which leads to the next bridge before the Paklenica mountain lodge. The mountain lodge is a total of 5.7 km from the parking lot. At an average walking speed of 3km/h, you can reach the mountain hut in less than two hours, and back in an hour and a half.

Although the trail is mostly well-maintained and pleasant to walk on, and mostly runs along a stream through a grove, in a few places you have to hold on to the rocks with your hands. During the summer months, the rocks get very hot in the sun and radiate additional heat. Therefore, it is mandatory to carry drinking water with you. Hiking shoes are mandatory, and a hat is advisable.

CANYON MALA PAKLENICA - LITTLE CANYON OF RESIN

The MALA PAKLENICA canyon is known for its "wilderness" and untouched nature. The 12.5 km long torrential stream Mala Paklenica flows through it, which dries up in the summer. It rises below Vlaški Grad, from several springs. In the rainy part of the year when water flows through the canyon, the path is impassable.

Eight kilometers downstream from the source, Mala Paklenica forms a canyon about 2 km long marked by cliffs up to 300 m high. The canyon is only 10 m wide in places. It was formed during the last ice age when the glacier mechanically hollowed out the gorge. The stone material from the gorge created a peninsula that the inhabitants of Selin used as a field for growing potatoes, cereals, fruits and vegetables.

Due to the importance of Mala Paklenica in preserving the originality of the petrophilous fauna, ornithofauna and climbing activities are strictly prohibited here.

Entrance to the canyon is charged. Climbing experience, mountaineering equipment, drinking water and good fitness are required.

ZRMANJA RIVER CANYON

THE ZRMANA RIVER CANYON is a true pearl of nature located between Obrovac and the mouth of the Novigrad Sea. The Zrmanja River is 69km long from its source under the Poštak mountain to the Novigrad Sea. It amazes with its crystal clear water, travertine barriers, magnificent waterfalls and steep cliffs.

It attracts visitors with its preserved wilderness and wealth of flora and fauna. The Zrmanja River Canyon offers adventures such as rafting and kayaking. Spring brings high water levels, making rafting a special experience with numerous rapids and waterfalls, while summer days are ideal for relaxed kayaking. The Zrmanja has two different parts: the upper part of the canyon, which is suitable for rafting and kayaking from Kaštel Žegarski to Muškovci, and the second part, a calm stream that many call the European Grand Canyon, suitable for sea kayaking, stand up paddling and boating. Both parts of the canyon will offer visitors an unforgettable experience. The Zrmanja River is suitable for rafting until May 15th and after September 15th or heavy rains. Kayaking is mainly used between May 15th and September 15th. In addition to adrenaline-pumping activities, many people opt for peaceful boat rides through the canyon. During these cruises, views of imposing cliffs up to 200 meters high open up.

In addition to its natural beauty, the canyon also has cultural and historical significance. In the karst field along the Zrmanja River east of Obrovac, there is the settlement of Žegar / Kaštel Žegarski. The settlement itself, which was founded around a tower from the Venetian-Ottoman wars, after which it was named, is rich in traditional stone buildings. Unfortunately, many of them are still damaged today, or have not been restored since the war period, although there is great interest in it today. The village is home to the Orthodox Church of St. George, built in 1618, and Žegar is also home to a massive stone bridge with four arches, built in the second half of the 19th century, during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was once the backdrop for the filming of cult films about the chief Winnetou. The Pueblo plateau (Pariževačka glavica) can be reached by taking the road from Jasenice towards Obrovac. After passing through the town of Jasenice, turn right onto a gravel road that leads to a small plateau located at the very edge of the imposing canyon of the Zrmanja River, the film's Rio Pecos. An Indian village was located here - the homeland of Winnetou.

KRUPA RIVER CANYON

RIVER KRUPA - KUDA'S BRIDGE

Although it is not far from many seaside towns, visitors rarely come here, but those who have been there once have been left breathless. Just over an hour's drive from Zadar, in the immediate vicinity of the small town of Golubić, Kuda's Bridge on the Krupa River is one of the most beautiful hidden places in Croatia. This protected natural monument was built using the dry stone wall technique, consists of 12 preserved travertine blocks, and the story of its creation is one of the most beautiful Croatian love stories. Legend has it that a young man named Kude, a miller at a mill on Krupa, saw a girl named Manda on the other side of the river and fell in love with her immediately. To get to her, he had to jump from stone to stone, but Manda was not very good at jumping over stones. To make it easier for young lovers to reach each other, Kude built a beautiful stone bridge consisting of 12 arches, which today, after renovation, proudly stands on the beautiful river and attracts more and more hikers and nature lovers.

A hiking trail near the bridge leads to the Krupa Monastery, which is only ten minutes away by car. The monastery itself is not so important, but rather the nature that surrounds it. This place has become a popular Zadar excursion destination, and is loved by families with children. It is maintained by monks who built a fireplace themselves, which is free for all visitors to use. There are also wooden tables on the spacious meadow, which makes the enjoyment even more enjoyable.

Another destination that you must visit when you are nearby, although it is not Zrmanja but Krupa, is the Manojlovac Waterfalls, because around the large one there are several “small” ones. Manojlovac is as high as 57 meters and many consider it the most beautiful waterfall on the Krka River. There is a parking lot by the main road, and it only takes a few minutes to get to the viewpoint.

VELIKO RUJNO - LARGE FERTILE FIELD

Veliko Rujno is a rare large fertile earthen plateau among the limestone rocks of Velebit. An asphalt road leads to a spacious mountain parking lot near Veliko Vaganc.

a) The macadam road to Veliko Rujno continues. Veliko Rujno can be reached on foot in two hours without climbing.

b) From the parking lot near Veliki Vaganac, Bojinac (Bojin's kuk) can be reached on foot in an hour and a half. The road climbs gently and approaches the white hips of Bojinac. Immediately before the rocks, 1 hour from the fork, another road branches off to the right towards V. Rujno, and the markings enter straight into a difficult karst area in which there are several marked variants. Bojinac is one of the most beautiful rocky landscapes in Croatia and a separate part of the Paklenica National Park. The area is wild, furrowed rocks alternate with forests, and the view reaches the sea and the highest peaks of Velebit. Croatia is known in world geology and geomorphology as a country with a distinct karst character. Karst is soluble limestone rocks that are worn away by the chemical and mechanical action of water and the power of the wind. As a result of these processes, distinctive above-ground and underground phenomena of various shapes have emerged, and the most beautiful example of this is the Bojinac area. It is difficult to experience so many different geomorphological shapes in a small area anywhere else on Velebit. In this tangle of hills, the highest is Bojin Kuk (1110 m), and the most unusual is certainly Jagin Kuk, near which Jeličin Kuk is also located. A marked trail leads us through the hills, which comes from Vaganc or Veliki Rujno, so that we can make a circular tour through these unusual beauties and natural wildernesses. From the top, a view opens up of Vaganski vrh and Sveto brdo, the island of Pag, and the entire Veliki Rujno. The beauty of this hiking trip is in the beautiful stone galleries that seem to have emerged from the meadows that surround them. This is one of the most beautiful climbs to Croatian peaks.

c) On the left is an option to climb Krilati Kuk (950m). Right next to the path is a small cave in the rock that serves as a natural shelter.

d) The path to the right of the cave goes around the highest Bojina Kuk, and climbs to its peak twice (caution: very demanding climb through the rock!).

The total distance from the BOSI I GOLI apartments is 14km. The total climb is 1150m and the descent is 290m. It takes 50min by car and 4:15 hours on foot.

PEEK MALI VITRENIK - LITTLE BLOWER PEEK

From the BOSI I GOLI apartment to the MALI VITRENIK peak, there is a 3.5km distance and 400m of ascent over varying terrain that can be covered in an hour and a half.

First, you start on the Tribanjska road, across the Adriatic highway, on the road under Kruškovec. The road is partly macadam. You go to the viewpoint where the Mirilas above Kruškovec are located. After that, you turn off the road and start on the hiking trail towards the Mirilas on Opuvani dolac. At these mirilas, you turn left along the dry stone wall along the hiking trail from the back towards the peak of Veliki Vitrenik.

At the highest elevation of the hill there is a flag that the residents of Starigrad place every year on the Victory and Homeland Gratitude Day and the Croatian Defenders' Day in memory of the victory over the Serbian aggressor on August 5, 1995, when the territory that had been occupied for 4 years was liberated.

The peak is located directly above the BOSI I GOLI apartment, which can be seen with binoculars. In addition, the smallest sea in the world can be seen - the KARIN SEA, then the NOVIGRAD SEA, the VIR SEA and the ADRIATIC SEA.

PEEK VELIKI VITRENIK - GREAT BLOWER PEEK

From the BOSI I GOLI apartment to the top of VELIKI VITRENIK there is a distance of 3.5 km and a 420 m ascent over different terrain that can be covered in an hour and a half.

First, you start on the Tribanjska road, across the Adriatic highway, on the road under Kruškovec. The road is partly macadam. You go to the viewpoint where the Mirilas above Kruškovac are located. After that, you turn off the road and start on the hiking trail towards the Mirilas on Opuvani dolac. At these miriles, you turn right on the hiking trail towards the top of Veliki Vitrenik.

At the highest elevation of the hill there is a small plateau 32 meters long and about 7 meters wide, which is surrounded by a dry-stone rampart from the northeast to the southwest. These are the remains of a hillfort site known as VISOKA GRADINA.

From the top you can see: the Velika Paklenica gorge, the smallest sea in the world - the KARIN SEA, then the NOVIGRAD SEA, the VIRA SEA and the ADRIATIC SEA.

STIJENE TULOVE GREDE - ROCKS BEAMS OF TULO

Tulove grede are a group of tall rocks of unusual shapes that emerge from the karst on southern Velebit. They are located right next to the Obrovac-Sveti Rok road and are therefore easily accessible. The road is macadam but of very good quality, so ordinary passenger vehicles can pass without any problems. On the way from Obrovac, there is a beautiful church of St. Francis along the road, which was built in the 19th century by the Austrian Emperor Francis I in memory of the newly built road that connected the north and south of Croatia. The many memorial plaques to fallen defenders along the road remind us of the war events and the great strategic importance of Velebit in the Homeland War.

The climb to Tulove grede begins at a large stone storm wall that protects the road from the impact of the Velebit bora. You should be very careful when climbing, because there are still parts that have not been completely cleared of mines. Everyone is advised to stick only to well-trodden and marked paths.

The hiking trail is well marked and trodden, which indicates that it is often used. It gradually climbs over the grassy area and scattered rocks, to the left of the foot of Tula. After about 10 minutes, you pass above a large sinkhole at the bottom of which there is a water source. The water can be reached by lowering a bucket tied with a rope about 10 meters long.

The trail then climbs somewhat steeper to the entrance to the rocks, and comes to a pass and two smaller plateaus surrounded in a triangle by high rocky and smooth rocks. From this pass (where you can see the preserved remains of a bunker from the Homeland War), you can see the grassy meadows below Tula beautifully.

This first part of the trail is not difficult, it is easy and not demanding. The second part of the trail, which leads from the pass to the top of Tulove grede, is more demanding and requires mountaineering experience, dexterity and a little climbing skills. On the way to the top, a cable has been installed to make the trail easier to overcome, and the trail also runs through narrow crevices, where you cannot pass with a backpack. After descending into the depression using a rope, you should be careful when holding onto the rocks with your hands, because a viper's habitat has been observed in this part. You should continue climbing on all fours, climbing through and along the rock, and constantly watching for the presence of vipers on this part of the trail. This part of the climb should be avoided in damp and rainy weather, which results in wet and slippery rocks.

The view from the top is phenomenal! You can see the Novigrad and Karin Seas, the Maslenica Bridge, many Adriatic islands, and there is a particularly beautiful view of one of the most beautiful peaks of Velebit, Sveto Brdo.

CAVE - MODRICH

Previous geomorphological, archaeological and speleological research indicates its natural scientific value. In its length of about 800 meters, it offers a special experience of the underground world, in completely untouched nature, without concrete paths, spotlights and mass groups. The cave has an indented shape, characterized by an alternating series of narrow, narrow crevices and larger, spacious halls in two directions. It is exceptionally beautiful and richly decorated with deposited calcite forms. In the second channel of the Modrič cave, speleologists found fossil remains of a cave bear from the last ice age, 15,000 - 20,000 years old. There are also ceramics and remains of a man from the Bronze Age, 4,000 years old.

The entrance to the Modrič cave was discovered quite by chance in 1980, although it is located relatively close to the Adriatic Highway and only 29m above sea level. A tour of the cave is a technically undemanding speleological adventure. The interior of the cave is easily accessible because the channels are high and wide enough to pass through, but it is not possible to explore the cave without adequate equipment and a professional guide. The temperature in the cave is 15°C – 18°C. Light clothing and sports shoes are sufficient for touring the cave, and visitors are given helmets, batteries and protective suits at the entrance. A visit to the cave itself lasts from 1.5 to 2 hours.

Restoran BARTOL / Vrtlina 23 / 23 243 Rovanjska

ZARA ADVENTURE / [email protected]

Marijan Buzov 091 563 1507 / Irena 091 555 8495

MANITA PEĆ - CRAZY CAVE

Manita Peć is the only cave in the Park that is open and open to visitors. It has been delighting visitors with its spaciousness and beautiful decorations since 1937, when its visits began after the trail was built. The entrance to the cave is located at 570 m above sea level, and the climb from the parking lot in Velika Paklenica to it takes about an hour and a half.

The cave is rich in cave decorations or siga. They differ in shape and how they were formed. The most common types of siga that you can see in Manita Peć are stalagmites, stalactites, siga columns (stalagnates) and cave stones (cascades). Some of these decorations are named after their interesting shapes, such as helmet, organ and witch.

The Manita Peć cave is also characterized by its wealth of underground fauna. You can see various species of bats in the cave, and research to date has identified a total of 52 invertebrate taxa, of which 20 are true cave animals. They have adapted to the underground environment and usually cannot survive outside the caves. They are characterized by a lack of pigment and organs of vision, but they have developed other senses (smell, taste, touch). Manitou Peć has been explored and fauna collected by numerous famous European biospeleologists. The result is the discovery of new species, such as the false-spined snail Chthonius radjai and the crab Bogidiella sketi

Regular opening times for visiting the Manita Peć cave are:

April - Saturdays from 10:00 to 13:00

May, June, October - Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10:00 to 13:00

July, August, September - every day from 10:00 to 13:00

VISITORS' INSTRUCTIONS:

If you decide to visit the Manita Peć, you will spend about 30 minutes there accompanied by a guide and learn about the many secrets of this interesting underground world. The temperature in the cave is around 9°C all year round, so we recommend that you bring appropriate clothing in the warmer part of the year. The cave can only be visited with a guide. If you are bringing a dog with you, please note that due to the sensitive cave ecosystem and the group tour, your dog will have to wait for you in front of the cave. There is a fee for the tour, and tickets can be purchased in front of the cave. Payment is made in cash only.

CAVES CEROVAC

CEROVAC CAVES are located on the slope of the southern part of the Velebit mountain range, on the northeastern slope of Mount CRNOPAC, in the protected area of ​​the "Velebit Nature Park". The nearest village is Grab, the hamlet of Javorovići, and the nearest town is Gračac, 4 km away.

Three entrances are known and are named after them: UPPER CAVE (marked in Austro-Hungarian maps), LOWER CAVE (discovered in 1913, during the laying of the railway line), while MIDDLE CAVE was discovered somewhat later, during the construction of the railway cut.

CLIMATE: The temperature in the caves is between 3°C and 7°C. Humidity is higher than 90%. The Donja špilja is also characterized by a pronounced air current, which means that there are other undiscovered entrances.

ARCHAEOLOGY: Various geological layers have been explored. The oldest found bone remains are those of a cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) from the last ice age. Human traces date from the late Bronze Age to the most recent period. Judging by the vessels and food remains, it is clear that the caves were used as a refrigerator for food.

The caves were protected as a GEOMORPHOLOGY MONUMENT OF NATURE in 1961.

TOURIST VISIT: the Lower and Upper Cerovac Caves are open, each approximately 700 m long. A tour of one cave takes approximately 1.5 hours, with approximately 50 minutes in the cave itself. A tour of both caves takes approximately 3 hours, with approximately 50 minutes in each cave.

https://cerovacke-spilje.hr/

FORTRESS IN MODRIČ (BYZANTINE)

Above the western side of the Modrič Bay rises a fifty-meter-high hill called GRADINA MODRIČ, an archaeological site that was inhabited in late prehistoric times and in the late antique period. The rim of the flattened peak of Gradina is surrounded by the remains of a circular dry-stone wall that enclosed and protected a prehistoric settlement on an area of ​​about 2.5 hectares. According to surface findings, the settlement probably arose during the Iron Age, in the 1st millennium BC, when this area was ruled by the indigenous Liburnians, known for their maritime tradition. Gradina controlled navigation through the Velebit Channel and access to other settlements in the area. Immediately above it, on a 150-meter-high peak called Velika Gradina, there is another prehistoric fortified settlement. An ancient road leads alongside Gradina Modrič towards Mali Libinje, a plateau in the Velebit hinterland that offered the inhabitants of the coast seasonal grazing, some arable land, and the possibility of exchange with the neighboring Lika natives, the Japods. After the Roman conquest, Gradina Modrič may have served as an eastern outpost of Argiruntum (today's Starigrad) in the first centuries AD, but very modest archaeological traces indicate that it was not used intensively at that time. It regained its importance in the turbulent period of late antiquity, when a new fortress was built on the same location. It was probably built by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian (527 - 565) during the wars with the Ostrogoths. Similar fortresses were built at that time at numerous strategic positions along the Adriatic coast and islands. A fortress of a similar type from about the same time is located 15 kilometers to the west, at Sveta Trojica, near Tribanj. Their purpose was to monitor and protect navigation through the Velebit Channel, and to provide protection and a means of escape for the local population. The remains of the walls of the late antique fortress on Gradina have been preserved in places to a height of almost two meters. The ramparts and the square towers attached to them were built of stone bound with mortar. The defended area has the shape of an irregular quadrangle 70 meters wide, extending 160 meters in the east-west direction.

FORTRESS ARGYRUNTUM (ROME)

Argonauts/Αργοναύται (Greek) a group of heroes from Greek mythology who, in the years preceding the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis (present-day Georgia) in his search for the Golden Fleece. They were named after the ship Argo, which was named after its builder Argos. The name Argos comes from Argos/Aργος (Greek) = "inactive"

Argyrunt (Latin) = they are: arrogant / insolent / conceited / presumptuous / impudent / conceited / surly / proud / vain.

During the last two centuries BC, the eastern coast of the Adriatic was gradually conquered by Roman legions and the native Liburnians and the previous conquerors, the Greeks. With the founding of the Roman province of Dalmatia at the very beginning of the 1st century AD, permanent Roman rule was established. The area previously ruled by the Liburnians began the period of literacy, and thus of history. Centuries of "Roman peace" followed, bringing with it a cash economy and the emergence of the first cities. At that time, Roman Argyruntum (today Starigrad) was also founded. It was located on a small peninsula, only about 3.5 hectares in area. Argyruntum soon developed into a fairly important market town. In the fourth decade of the Christian era, the Roman emperor Tiberius had it surrounded by walls and towers. Along the road leading from the city to the southwest was the city cemetery. Rich and diverse archaeological finds were collected from approximately 400 excavated graves: silver, bronze and amber jewelry, ceramic, glass and metal vessels, weapons and tools. They testify to the relative prosperity of the city's inhabitants and lively trade relations with the entire Mediterranean.

Caius Plinius Secundus, in his work Naturalis historia at the end of the 1st century AD, mentions Argyruntum in the context of its inhabitants acquiring the status of "Roman citizen law", i.e. he confirms that Argyruntum had municipal status.

The city had a regular grid of streets that intersected at right angles. Cardo – a street running north-south and Decumanus – a street running east-west. The main road was 6 m wide and about 500 m long. Along this main road was a necropolis – a city of the dead. About 400 graves have been found. The dead were mostly cremated and the remains were placed in stone, ceramic and glass urns. There are several graves of wealthier residents who were buried in graves with rich and diverse offerings that were supposed to accompany them to the afterlife. These objects originate from the entire empire, which indicates trade communications. Jewelry, bronze, glass, amber, fibulae, rings, brooches, earrings, necklaces, beads, decorated boxes, portraits, figurines of people, gods and animals, lucerne (oil lamps). The largest number of finds of ancient glass in the entire Adriatic is from Argyruntum. In Zadar there is the Museum of Ancient Glass, where most of the artifacts are from Argyruntum. Glass bowls, glasses, bottles, urns, of various bellied and square shapes. Various colors and types:

i)🏺 balsamarium (small, narrow bottle for perfumes, balms and aromatic oils)

ii)😢 lacrimarium, traditionally interpreted as a "tear bottle" (from Latin lacrima = tear). According to an older interpretation, tears were collected in it at funerals.

iii)🧴 modiolus, for cosmetics, ointments or medicinal preparations.

iv)🏺 arybalos, a small, round bottle with a narrow neck. It was used for body oil, especially for athletes. Athletes wore it hanging from their wrist or belt when going to the spa or to the training ground

v)🏺 amphoriskos for more expensive liquids: perfumes, oils, medicinal preparations. Often of more luxurious workmanship, sometimes imported from Greek workshops.

Judging by the findings from the cemetery dating from the 1st to 4th centuries, life in Argyruntum died out at the beginning of the 4th century AD. The period of peace was disrupted by the incursions of "barbarian" peoples, which ultimately led to the collapse of the once powerful Roman state. The last attempt to return the Adriatic coast to the Empire was made by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. In the middle of the 6th century AD, he had a system of fortifications built to secure navigation and protect the coastal population. The ruins of the ramparts and towers above Modrič east of Selin, and in Tribanj Šibuljina, are part of this defensive system that only briefly postponed the final collapse of the ancient world on the Adriatic.

Argyruntum is known for the wealth of that era. Most of the finds of ancient glass are from Argyruntum. In Zadar, there is the Museum of Ancient Glass, in which at least half of the artifacts are from Argyruntum.

FORTRESS OF VEČKA KULA (VENETIAN)

VEČKA TOWER, located on the edge of VEČKO POLJE. It belongs to a series of Venetian fortifications that were built in the Velebit Channel during the 16th century to defend against the Turks. The name Večka comes from the Italian word "VECCHIA", which means "OLD". In the field around the tower there were several farmhouses that made up VEČKO SELO (OLD VILLAGE) which was later called "CITTA VECCHIA", which means "OLD TOWN", based on which STARIGRAD got its name.

The position of the tower on the edge of VEČKO POLJE had a strategic traffic significance because it enabled the surveillance of

a) the navigation route through the VELEBIT STRAIT and the entrance through the MASLENIC STRAIT to the NOVIGRAD SEA

b) through the Velika Paklenica gorge across Velebit to Lika

The strategic importance is also indicated by the PAKLARIĆ FORTRESS above the entrance to the gorge. VEČKI PORAT is mentioned in the second half of the 17th century as the main port for the export of timber cut in Paklenica. The ruins and the abandoned Večka Tower are mentioned next to it. It is assumed that the village of Veče had already disappeared under the blows of the Turkish invasions by then.

Judging by the visible remains, the tower was surrounded by a rectangular courtyard surrounded by a wall that is now partly under the sea. The tower itself was built of reinforced and connected stone blocks. On the inner face of the wall, holes-bearings for wooden beams are visible, which can be judged that it had 3 floors. On the top floor, narrow windows-loopholes with strongly angled side cuts can still be seen.

The entire Večko polje was formed during the last ice age when the glacier, with its sliding, hollowed out a gorge in the mountain, and the stone material slowly settled and formed a peninsula. The same process took place three kilometers south in the town of Seline from the Mala Paklenica gorge.

FORTRESS PAKLARIĆ STARIGRAD (VENETIAN, BYZANTINE, LIBURNIAN)

On the eastern part of the plateau above the entrance to the Velika Paklenica canyon, there is a defensive wall built in the late Middle Ages (VENICE), on the remains of an ancient fortress (BYZANTINE) and from the remains of a prehistoric dry-stone rampart (LIBURNIAN - ILLYRID).

On the western edge of the plateau, a large amount of animal bones, shells and a large amount of fragments of earthenware were found. There are the remains of a pentagonal tower. This defensive structure was built in the late Middle Ages and controlled an important communication that led through Paklenica from the sea to Lika and vice versa. Several fragments of prehistoric, Iron Age and medieval ceramics were found, as well as three silver coins of the Venetian doges.

The Paklarić educational trail is located along the left bank of the stream, not far from the entrance reception to the National Park. The entrance to the trail is marked with plaques. The educational trail starts with the old, renovated Paklenica mill and leads to the Paklarić fort, which is located at an altitude of 121 m, and a viewpoint with a panoramic view. The length of the path is 550 m, and it is equipped with four educational and informative panels: Velebit apartments, traditional agriculture, animal husbandry in southern Velebit and the caravan route. At the observation deck there is a telescope and two interpretive panels about important archaeological sites.

FORTRESS TRIBANJ ŠIBULJINA (BYZANTINE)

1) LIBURNS - A hillfort settlement from the last phase of the development of the Liburnian community, fortified by a rampart with a suburb. It is located in a naturally protected position along the Tribanjska Draga canyon. Its position and size make it stand out as a significant settlement of the local Liburnian community. It was built on a naturally fortified position which was then additionally protected by a dry-stone rampart on the north and east sides, and access from the west is completely prevented by a deep canyon. To the southeast, a break in the ramparts can be seen, i.e. the entrance to the central plateau, with a well-preserved face of larger, unworked stones. The southeast part is the logical location of the main entrance, which led to the terrace of irregular rectangular shape. The southern edge of the terrace was probably not inhabited due to the steep stone ridge which also prevents access to the plateau from the south, while the rest of the terrace has regular rectangular areas bordered by larger stones, which we interpret as traces of residential buildings. The settlement of this terrace is confirmed by the rich surface finds of coarse-textured ceramics, which correspond to settlement ceramics. On the western side of the plateau is the highest part of the settlement – ​​the acropolis, or rather an oval area fortified by a rampart on all sides, except for the naturally protected southern side, similar to the situation on the main, eastern plateau. The space on this smaller terrace did not allow for the residence of a larger group of people, so this space, in the middle of which we find the remains of walls oriented north-south, could only have been used by a few people. Since the living space on both terraces was determined by the characteristics of the terrain, the increase in the population must have been accompanied by the expansion of the settlement to the terraces at the foot of the hillfort itself, which is confirmed by numerous surface finds of ceramics and fragments of amphorae. Further research will be able to clarify the relationship between the objects on the aforementioned upper terraces and the sub-fortress, in order to determine at what point the expansion of the settlement occurred. The ceramic material found in the profiles of the recent macadam road includes fragments of amphorae of the Lamboglia 2 type, also found in previous reconnaissances of this location, which, together with other ceramic material such as Hellenistic ceramics and Greco-Italian amphorae, reliably date the life of the settlement to the last phase of the Liburnian culture, i.e. in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Fragments from the profile created by the road's opening also prove the existence of a cultural layer on the terraces of the sub-fortress, so the erosive action of rain and wind cannot be considered the only reason for the existence of material on the lower terraces, but it should certainly be assumed that there were residential buildings on these locations as well.

2) BYZANTINE - At this multi-layered site, continuity of settlement has been established from the Late Bronze Age until the end of the 6th century, i.e. until the Early Byzantine period, which constitutes the youngest horizon of the fortification. The fort was built at the foot of the twin prehistoric settlements of Velika and Mala Gradina on a slope organized in terraces. It is entirely surrounded by a section of ramparts that forms a rectangular ground plan of approximately 170m x 130m and occupies a total area of ​​approximately 15,000 m2. On the northeast side, a section of ramparts extends that has been preserved for a length of 120m. The rampart was built of smaller processed stones bound with coarse mortar and was 0.8m wide and could have been 6m to 8m high according to Glavičić. However, during the illegal construction of a macadam road at the entrance to the plateau below the prehistoric hillfort, the northern rampart was demolished, but in other parts it remains preserved to a height of several meters. According to the building remains that are preserved today only in the foundations, the ramparts were reinforced with protruding towers with a square ground plan, four of which are visible on the aforementioned northeastern stretch of ramparts. Inside the fort, remains of walls that could have belonged to dwellings or farm buildings have been observed, and therefore, we can call it a fortified settlement. In the middle of this fortified settlement is also the Church of the Holy Trinity, which today serves as a burial chapel and which received its current appearance by adapting an older sacral building. It is a single-nave church of early Christian origin, given the masonry technique, the interior appearance of the apse and especially its mushroom-shaped triumphal arch. According to movable finds, this fortified settlement is attributed to the Roman and probably Byzantine period, although no fragments of late antique or early Byzantine ceramics have been found so far.

FORTRESS LERGA (ILLYRI - LIBURNIAN)

Slivnica, a settlement in the Posedarje municipality, has been inhabited since the Old Stone Age, and is mentioned in written documents in 1301 and 1389.

– On the hills around Slivnica, there are the remains of three Illyrian hillforts – the Bokulja hillfort, the Mijolović hillfort and the Lergova hillfort.

From the Bokulja bay in Slivnica to the Sveti Duh in the Novigrad Sea, the area is dominated by the Slivničko hillfort, whose heights at the prehistoric Oraška or Lergova hillfort reach up to 267 meters above sea level. This is a valuable stone heritage, which, in the wake of numerous wars of conquest, was systematically destroyed. The hillfort is a protected cultural property. It has not yet been sufficiently explored and valorized.

Lerga's hillfort

Lergova hillfort is about 280 meters long and about 160 meters wide. The hillfort was surrounded by a rampart several meters thick, built in the megalithic style. The face of the rampart is best seen on the eastern side of the fort. The rampart is partly built of large, regularly hewn stone blocks that are stacked in a dry stone manner. Today, the rampart is in a state of ruin, topped with a dry stone wall that protects private plots within the fort. There is a lot of Iron Age and Roman pottery on the surface of Lergo's fort, so the origin of Lergo's fort can be dated to this. On the northwest side of Lergo's fort there are the remains of several dry stone buildings with walls about one meter thick. Lerga's fort is about 3,000 years old, which means that it was built by the Liburnians. According to archaeological research, it was built between the 9th century BC and the 15th century.

During Roman rule, Lerga's or Oraška fort with its fortress controlled the Velebit Channel and the settlements on both sides of it, as well as a large part of Ravni Kotari, even as far as Vrana lake.

In the 16th century, it was an important Venetian outpost on the border with Turkey. The Turks were unable to conquer it, although they often tried, which is why the local population was in constant danger.

During World War II, the fort was an extremely important strategic point. Major battles were fought for Lergo's fort.

Like all finds in Dalmatia where they were found during land cultivation or the construction of family houses, archaeological finds were not reported, nor were they preserved in any way. For this reason, they are most often not even scientifically registered, because they were not even known about. The ravages of time and human negligence, which has built unknown and interesting stones into walls or later architecture, are some of the factors that have caused the destruction of the stone treasures we inherit from the past.

FORTRESS ASSERIA (ILLYRI - LIBURNIAN)

In the Zadar hinterland, southeast of Benkovac, is one of the most important Liburnian and later Roman settlements in the area – ASSERIA.

ASSERIA is surrounded by a stone ring about 2.5 kilometers long, whose megalithic walls reach up to 7 meters high and up to 3 meters wide. The weight of the megaliths themselves is from 0.5 to 5 tons, and their dimensions are from 1 to 4 m long, 0.5 to 1 m high and 1 to 2 m wide. This area is still largely unexplored and of unknown age, although it is assumed that it could originate as early as the second millennium BC.

CIPUS are cylindrical monuments that end with a shallow dome covered with shells. On the outer part there is an inscription field with basic information about the deceased, such as name, social status, public office held, family of the deceased, magic formulas, curses, thanks, and the like. On the top of the cipus there was usually a carved cone. As an evergreen plant, it is a symbol of eternal youth and immortality. In Roman religion, it appears on Roman tombstones. It was believed to ward off evil influences and protect the body of the deceased from decay.

The crises and stagnation that gripped the entire Roman Empire from the 3rd to the 5th centuries also affected life in Asseria. Like many other centers, Asseria never managed to recover and was almost completely abandoned during the 6th and 7th centuries.

FORTRESS BARBARIJA (ILLYRI - LIBURNIAN)

VARVARIJA - BARBARIA - BRIBIR

85km (1h15 drive) from the apartments BOSI I GOLI, there is one of the most important archaeological sites in Croatia, a cultural monument of the highest level, pre-antique VARVARIA. The archaeological site is located on a small hill near the town of Bribir. Megalithic walls built in unknown ancient times on a plateau 300m above sea level. You can reach it by car right under the megalithic walls.

The walls surround three sides of the hill (more than 1 km), and the fourth side is guarded by cliffs. Different styles of construction are clearly visible. On the lower part of the walls are large and massive stone blocks that are connected without binding material, and on the top of the walls are visible more primitive and simpler construction methods belonging to the Romans and the Middle Ages.

PREHISTORY 6000 BC – 129 BC

Although life in the Bribir area has flourished since the early Neolithic (as evidenced by the settlement at the Krivače site, along the Bribirčica stream), it seems that the Bribir peak itself (Bribirska Glavica) was inhabited only since the Bronze Age, when the local inhabitants built the first fort. Archaeological findings speak of the high technological and artistic level of the LIBURNIAN BARBARIANS, as well as of its contacts with other parts of the Mediterranean world, primarily with the GREEKS, PHOENICIANS and ETRUSCANS. The earliest inscription discovered in Varvaria is in Greek (2nd century BC). The economic and political power of the Liburnian communities during the Iron Age rested on their maritime supremacy, which often turned into piracy. In addition to Varvaria, at that time, there were strong Liburnian seats in Asseria (Benkovac), Clambeate, Corinium (Karin - the Miodrag fortress), and Nedinium.

ANTIQUE 129 BC – AD 300

Remains from the Roman period have been found in almost all parts of Varvaria. As a rule, these are the ruins of town houses and villas, often equipped with large cisterns for collecting rainwater. Quite a large number of rooms in the Dol area were decorated with frescoes and paved with polychrome geometric mosaics. Decorated architectural elements, glass and ceramic vessels, lamps, metal objects (jewelry and parts of clothing, tools as well as everyday objects), coins, objects made of bone, horn or ivory have been found. It seems that the local Silvanus was the most popular deity in Roman Varvaria, since many reliefs and altars dedicated to this deity have been found. Various inscriptions and sculptures indicate the worship of other Roman deities, such as Apollo, Jupiter, Janus, Mars, Liber, Diana and the Moon. One altar also records the worship of the Egyptian Isis.

EARLY MIDDLE AGE AD 600 – AD 1102

With the arrival of the Croats, a new, early medieval fortified town, castrum, began to develop on the ruins of ancient Barbarija. It became one of the eleven ancient Croatian counties, Βρεβέρη. The rotunda church was spared destruction. It was rebuilt in the 9th century, probably during the reign of Prince Branimir (879-892). The patronage of this abbey church from the 11th century was in the hands of the Šubić family of Bribir, the medieval lords of Bribir.

MIDDLE AND LATE MIDDLE AGES AD 1102 – AD 1500

In the 12th and 13th centuries, Bribir was an important and well-organized social and political center of Croatia. It was the seat of the Šubić de Breberio (nobiles / comites / principes Breberienses), who over the course of these centuries became the most distinguished and powerful Croatian nobles. Their rise to power began in the early 12th century, largely thanks to their good relations with the Hungarian kings, who became the rulers of Croatia in 1102. Bribirska glavica was also the seat of the Croatian state at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. At that time, Bribirska glavica was the seat of the “uncrowned Croatian king Pavao I Šubić Bribirski, Croatian ban and ruler of Bosnia, founder of the Croatian noble family of Šubić Zrinski”. Breberium retained this status even after the political downfall of Pavalo’s son, Mladen II, in 1322, until the Turkish invasions in the first decades of the 16th century.

MODERN ERA AD 1500 – PRESENT

Breberium probably came under Ottoman rule in December 1523. The settlement was part of the Klis sandžak and locally belonged to the Ostrovica nahija and the jurisdiction of the judge (kadi) in Skradin. There is very little information about this period. The existence of an Ottoman-era tower implies that a small garrison may have been stationed there in the 17th century. Only four Ottoman coins (akçe) have been discovered at the site. The Ottoman period ended when the settlement was captured by the Venetian Republic, during the Morean War (1684–1699). After that, Varvarija never regained its importance.

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FORTRESS BURNUM (ROME)

LIBURNUM (1st century AD)

• The Burnistae are the LIBURNIANS on the border with the warlike DELMATI. The central settlement was located at Gradina near Puljani, on the left bank of the Krka River (Titius flumen). The prehistoric settlement continued to exist after the Roman conquests at the beginning of the first century.

BURNUM ROMAN MILITARY CAMP AND AMPHITHEATER

• During the Octavian Wars in Illyricum (35-33 BC), a temporary Roman legionary camp was built.
• During the reign of Augustus, the 20th legion was stationed there during the summer season of warfare.
• After the Pannonian-Delmatian War (6-9 AD), towards the end of Augustus' life and the beginning of Tiberius' reign, a permanent stone camp (castra legionis) was built on the right bank of the Krka River, at the location of Šuplja crkva near the village of Lvoševci. It was the headquarters of the 11th legion of the Roman army Claudiae Piae Fidelis and the 4th legion Flaviae Felix.
• It is located in the village of Ivoševci, 19 km from Knin. The name Burnum is derived from the ethnic Liburnum, and in the literature there are a number of names: Bvrno, Bergane, Supplia cerqva, Šupljaja, Archi Romanum, Archi Romani di Kistanje, Trajanski-grad, etc.

CAMPUS - Military training ground (1st century AD)

• rectangular shape, 150x150m.
• A three-part eastern entrance to the building, 10.20 m wide, was excavated. The relatively thin walls (74 cm) and the absence of defensive towers indicate that this is not fortification architecture, but a military training ground. It consists of huge halls under roofs, which cover an uncovered inner courtyard on three sides.
• Found seals and small military material indicate that the camp was built no later than the middle of the 1st century, during the reign of Emperor Claudius, and that it was renovated at the end of that century.
• Emperor Vespasian formed a new legion, the IIII Flavia Felix, and sent it to Burnum in 70 AD. This legion expanded and completed the amphitheater.
• Around 86 AD, it was replaced by part of the VIII. Augusta Legion, whose soldiers built the CAMPUS - a building for exercise and recreation during their short stay in the camp.
• With the departure of this unit, only infantry and cavalry auxiliary units remain in the entire province of Dalmatia. A large number of tombstones for soldiers have been discovered, originating from necropolises that arose along the roads leading from Burnum.
• Veterans' estates and military facilities are part of the large legionary territory, which also includes military meadows, an AQUEDUCT (33 km long), bridges, sanctuaries, workshops, fortresses and guardhouses.
• On the western and southern sides of the camp, CANABAE developed, settlements whose population was mainly composed of entrepreneurs, merchants, artisans and families of soldiers.
• As a reward for their loyalty, the Burnists were granted city autonomy, no later than 118 AD, during the reign of Emperor Hadrian.
• Since the 2nd century, Burnum, as an important road junction, has had a station called BENEFICIARIJA, which took care of peace and order and the smooth flow of traffic. Part of the legionary territory remained under imperial control, while the rest was given to the city to manage.
• Burnum is last mentioned in historical sources in 536/537 AD during the Gothic-Byzantine wars. It seems to have ceased to exist in late antiquity.

AMPHITHEATER (1st century AD)

• The construction of the amphitheatre began during the reign of Emperor Claudius. It is located 500 m southwest of the Roman military camp in Burnum.
• Typologically, it belongs to amphitheatres with four entrances, two main ones, at the vertex of an ellipse, and two side ones.
• The dimensions of the amphitheater arena are 44 x 33 m, while the entire building is more than 100 m long.
• In the 2nd century, new reconstructions were carried out, the most obvious of which is the construction of a sanctuary in the arena's shell on the site of an earlier staircase in the axis of the western aisle.
• It is not known until when the amphitheater in Burnum had its function, but it is evident that it collapsed due to dilapidation.

MIRILA - 1) WESTERNERS KOIĆ'S DOWNHILL

The site was located west of the center of Starigrad between Tikvena dražica and the hamlet of Koići on the northern side of the main road. It was destroyed by the construction of the main road in 1956. They belonged to the Zapadnjari, clans of the western hamlets: Koići (Slobodina), Milovci (Uramovac), Čavići - Šošići, Mali and Veliki Ledenik (Krapići, Petričevići, Jovići, Adžići and Bušljete - Povešići) from Turin. In 1980, 42 mirila of the arched-rounded type were recorded. Of the decorations in the carved relief, the simple shape of the cross prevailed. Two headstones with specific symbols stood out: a stylized anthropomorphic representation on one, and on the other a branched shape of the cross with two pentagrams - as a symbol of astral magical beliefs and as an early Christian symbol or sign of a heavenly image at the time of death. They are oriented west - east

MIRILA - 2) MEASURES ABOVE THE PEAR LAND

They are located northwest of the center of Starigrad on the north side of the road to Veliko Rujno. The road passes through the settlement of Brđani and continues northwest above the settlement of Kruškovac. Above them is the small peak of Mali Vitrenik, and below is the Tikvena dražica. The site belonged to the clans of the hamlets: Dokoze - Dokozići (Sinokos), Ercezi (Grabov klanac), Katalnići - Katalinići (Dobroselo), Bušljete - Bušljetići (Veliki Vaganac), Ercezi Gornji (Dolac Županov). In 1980, 58 mirila were recorded. The arched-rounded type prevails and some amorphous ones. They are oriented west-east. Of the decorative motifs, the most numerous are the astral (stylized rosette, swastika - "four-pointed") solar disk and diagonal (Andrijin) cross.

One stylized anthropomorphic motif also stands out, which has become a symbol of mirila as a monumental heritage of the Starigrad municipality.

MIRILA - 3) GOOD WILLAGE'S DOWNHILL

From the Nad Kruškovcem mirila, the road to Veliko Rujno leads northwest below the hamlet of Sinokosa (Dokoze) and slightly north of Dobroselo (Katalinići). About three hundred meters above it is a pass – Kosa Dobroselska between the small hills of Čelinka and Razvršje. The mirila are located on both sides of the road. They are oriented northwest - southeast. There are 32 of them, and a larger number are completely devastated. They belonged to the Koić family from Jatara. At this site, mirila of newer and older dates clearly stand out. The newer ones are masterfully skillfully and precisely carved in two types, namely the arched-rounded and the double-gabled ("ridged"), while the older ones are mostly amorphous, more roughly made, but richly ornamented. Of the astral motifs, the spiral, rosette, solar disk and two pentagrams as on the mirila of the Zapadnjara stand out. The mirila of a more recent date lack any decoration, except for the simple sign of the cross, sometimes combined with an inscription.

MIRILA - 4) BLOWING VALLEY

The road from the center of Starigrad leads through the settlement of Brđani and further along Uz počivala to Opuvani Doc between the heads of Mali and Veliki Vitrenik. 1) The northern branch of the Mirila belonged to the families of the hamlets of Zavitrenik (Bušljete), Koin Dolac (Donji Ercezi), Šimiždrići - Milovci, Dolac Vučić - Županov (Gornji Ercezi) and Mali Vaganac (Bušljete). 2) The eastern branch of the Mirila belonged to the families of the hamlets of Bristovac (Tomići) and Njive Došenove (Ramići and Jusupi). In 1979, 96 Mirila were recorded (today, about a dozen representative headstones have disappeared), most of which are of the arched-rounded type, and a smaller number are rectangular and amorphous. They are oriented west - east and north - south. The most common motif of this type is a sun disk.

A spiral with a decorative cross and a stylized rosette appear in a somewhat smaller number. The inscription is unusual.

MIRILA - 5) LITTLE HEAD

They are located east of the center of Starigrad on Petra Zoranića Street. They were originally located on the south side of the road leading from Punta to the hamlet of Marasovići at the entrance to Velika Paklenica. Unfortunately, in the 1970s they were relocated, and in their original position they were the second largest in Starigrad. In 1978 there were 53 of them, today this number is smaller and most of them are missing a headboard or footboard. They belonged to the Marasović family, Ramići and Parići, although the latter state that they did not have their own mirila. They are oriented east-west, and this was probably their original orientation. The basic type of slab is arched-rounded, then rectangular and amorphous, decorated with a motif of a "petal" sun disk, a motif of a spiral with a cross and a swastika, and a cross in variations, from the simplest to very complex decorative forms. The headboards with inscriptions have a simple cross and the year of death carved into them.

WELLS, CISTERNS, CATTLE WATERING

A WELL is an underground structure, usually circular in shape, dug in the shape of a tube and lined with stone. It collected groundwater that people used for drinking, watering livestock, personal hygiene, washing clothes, and watering gardens. There are two large city wells in Starigrad that were used until recently, until the city water supply was installed. They are located at the intersection of Velebitska Street and Puta bunara.

A CISTERN is a structure below the surface of the ground that serves to collect rainwater. It is built of stone, and the joints are sealed with waterproof lime mortar. Above the cistern, the ground is paved with a slight slope so that during the rainy season the water flows into an underground tank. The Starigrad city cistern is located on Velebitska Street, 200m from the city wells.

WATERING HOLES are natural depressions in the ground, usually sinkholes, in which rainwater collected and, due to the impermeable soil, remained on the surface. People built them with dry stone walls so that they could let their livestock in without fear of wild animals attacking them.

Water scarcity has always been a problem for humans. People have learned from time immemorial how to conserve water even in places where nature was not merciful enough to provide them with a river or spring. The rainwater collected during the short rainy season was supposed to last for a long period until the next rains. The first written mention of cisterns is found on the pillar of the Moabite king Mesha, dated around 865 BC in a 34-line text, which tells of the wars that King Mesha waged against Israel and Edom, and conquered a significant territory around the Jordan River. Preparing for a long defensive war to protect his territories from enemies, he built large water reservoirs and also ordered that every household must make a cistern. However, cisterns were invented millennia earlier, for example in ancient Mycenae.

The Roman world, basing its views on Greek myths, attributed supernatural divine properties to water, and therefore rightly stored water in specially constructed storage tanks - cisterns. Regardless of whether there was a water source nearby that the population could use, the Romans built cisterns using special technology and materials. They were usually built of stone and plastered with waterproof mortar, so that the water would be preserved as long as possible.

In ancient Croatian mythology, there was also a God of Water, called Vodan. He was created from the reflection of Svarog, the supreme God on the surface of the Primordial Sea. His weapon is a trident. He is a counterpart to the Greek Poseidon or the Roman Neptune.

Many houses located on the coast had a cistern in the yard, and cities had city cisterns that supplied the city population. With the fall of the Roman Empire and the devastation of the "Villa rustica", Roman cisterns disappeared and people drank water from springs or wells. Usually wells were converted into cisterns. We find very few built cisterns. They are usually located in town or village squares, or in front of religious buildings. There is one town cistern in Starigrad.

CHURCH OF ST. GEORG IN ROVANJSKJA

The Church of St. George (and the surrounding cemetery) in Rovanjska is a protected monument of zero category and cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia.

It is a true pearl of ancient Croatian sacral architecture. It is located right on the seashore. It was built between the 9th and 11th centuries and is considered one of its kindred beauties, such as the Church of the Holy Cross in Nin and the Church of St. Pelegrin in Savr. Today it is the burial chapel of the parish of Jasenice.

The core consists of a pre-Romanesque church with a semicircular apse topped by an elliptical dome on trompes. Building something like this more than a thousand years ago was in any case a major architectural undertaking, which required great knowledge of astronomy and geometry. It acquired its current L-shaped floor plan with subsequent additions, namely the addition of a tomb in the form of an arcosolium (Latin arcus: arch + solium: chest, sarcophagus). Both wings of the church are medieval. A bell tower was built over one wing during the 1914 renovation.

The sanctuary (apse) of the church is not located entirely to the east, but is oriented southeast. The deviation of the axis of the sanctuary, and also of the church, from the geographic east is about 20°. The first ray of the sun that we can see here on the equinox is quite late, shifted to the right from the geographic east. This correction angle, which marks the local east of Rovanjska, also shifts the positions of the summer and winter solstices southward. The floor plan diagram of the ray directions shows that the church is oriented precisely towards the local east of the equinox, so its centerline coincides with the first ray that morning. The wings that were added later to the original small single-nave pre-Romanesque church, approximately rectangular in plan (4.60 x 2.80 m), are the northwest or front wing and the northeast or side wing. The front wing, which is located in the axis of the original church, is vaulted with a barrel vault with a belt. The side wing is also vaulted with a barrel vault with a belt, but is somewhat more spacious and irregular. Its uniqueness is also reflected in the fact that it has been determined that the side wing was the first to be added to the original church, while the front wing was added later, probably in the 15th century (* 4).

The church in Rovanjska has a dome, which is surprising in that it is not the usual circular one, but elliptical. Among the Dalmatian pre-Romanesque monuments, which are otherwise very diverse in their vaulting, such a form of "elongated" dome is not known, and there are probably not many such examples elsewhere either.

In the cemetery around it, there are also 8 stećak tombstones in the form of thicker slabs that already turn into chests. The monuments are moderately carved, of usual dimensions, oriented in the west-east direction (as the church and modern tombstones are oriented). Two examples were broken, and three were reused as tombstones. The stećak tombstones of this necropolis have no decorations, but Petar Rončević testified that he saw a crescent moon and a star on one example, which has already been destroyed. The necropolis originally had several stećak tombstones.

It has been preserved in its original shape of a semi-cross with a characteristic elliptical dome and a barrel vault.

• It is entered in the Register of Cultural Properties of the Republic of Croatia.
• It is listed as an immovable cultural property – an individually protected cultural monument.

CHURCH OF OUR LADY IN SELINE

Parish Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Little Lady). Built in 1840 and consecrated in 1850. Renovated in 1987. Single-nave with sacristy; main wooden altar with tabernacle and painting of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; wooden altar facing the congregation; side altar made of Istrian stone and marble with a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary and a wooden altar with a wooden statue of St. Anthony of Padua; stone baptistery; stone sprinkling font; bell tower-spinning wheel demolished and bell on the ground (handy spinning wheel for bells on the ground – concrete).

CHURCH OF ST. PETER IN STARIGRAD

The small medieval CHURCH OF ST. PETER IN STARIGRAD is located right next to the Adriatic Highway. It is located between Starigrad and Selin. A cemetery has spread around the church, where people have been buried since the mid-13th century. Impressive tombstones in the form of massive stone slabs decorated with simple, shallow reliefs have survived to this day. The monuments date back to the period between the 14th and 16th centuries. The church was built in the pre-Romanesque Old Croatian style, probably at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries.

Next to the church is a smaller building, which is assumed to have served as a baptistery.

Based on some details, we are almost certain that the church was built by a benefactor who had made a vow, as was the case with the construction of churches and chapels in the Old Croatian period. In the last few years, archaeological research has been carried out on the church, which will certainly bring new knowledge about the building and the history of the place itself.

Church of St. Peter in Starigrad-Paklenica is

• registered in the Register of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia.
• registered as an immovable cultural asset – an individually protected cultural monument.

CHURCH OF ST. GEORGE IN STARIGRAD

The parish CHURCH OF ST. GEORGE in Starigrad is a single-nave building built in 1850. Inside the church there is a sacristy, a wooden main altar with a tabernacle and a picture of St. George, a stone altar and a stone pulpit facing the people, and statues of Our Lady of Health and St. Joseph.

The church is located on the very coast in the center of Starigrad, and was built on the ruins of the old Roman city of Argyruntum. In front of the church in the courtyard, walls about 2000 years old are visible, which extend into the sea. Next to the church is the parish hall, and the main square in Starigrad is called Bikarija. The word comes from the Latin vicarius (deputy). A vicar is a priest who assists or replaces a bishop, and a vicarage is a building or office where he works. Bikarija, as the name of the main square, indicates that there are: the parish office space and the priest's apartment, the administrative part of the parish (registry books, arrangements for baptisms, weddings, etc.).

CHURCH OF ST. ARCHANGEL MICHAEL (Orthodox) in TRIBANJ ŠIBULJINA

The church was built in 1865. It is a single-nave stone building with a semicircular apse. Above the entrance is a bell tower with two bells. The walls are made of local limestone. It was built for the needs of the local Orthodox population, which Venice settled in the 17th century after it had pushed back the Turkish invaders.

CHAPEL OF THE HOLY TRINITY (Orthodox) in TRIBANJ ŠIBULJINA

The Holy Trinity Chapel

is located on a hill 58 meters above sea level above Tribanj Šibuljina within the ruined walls of the Byzantine fortress. It is laid out approximately in a northwest-southeast direction. It is possible that the original church had a semicircular sanctuary (apse), but the current apse is square.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL LAYERS:

1) The deepest layers indicate that there was a sanctuary of prehistoric Liburnian construction.

2) On this layer, a cultural ancient layer from the Roman Empire with elements of early Christianity is visible.

3) The next layer is from the Byzantine rule after the fall of Rome, between the 4th and 6th centuries and onwards

4) of early Christian basis which is retained until the period of Croatian settlement.

5) In the 12th century, under the influence of the Venetians, the church became Catholic and remained so until the 16th century, when, faced with the onslaught of Turkish conquering troops, the Croatian indigenous population emigrated from the southern Velebit foothills. The church was then completely destroyed.

6) A century later, the Venetian government settled new residents in the deserted villages and hamlets under Velebit, mostly Bunjevci from Dalmatia and Herzegovina, but also residents from Gorski Kotar, the Croatian Littoral, and the islands of Cres and Lošinj. The Orthodox population - Vlachs from present-day Romania and Serbia - came to the area of ​​Tribanj Šibuljina. At that time, the hamlets also revived, whose population renovated the old Croatian church and brought it back to its worship purpose, and continued to use the existing cemetery.

7) At the end of the 18th century, the church lost its original sacral significance and completely collapsed. Orthodox residents from nearby Šibuljina and the five surrounding hamlets began to be buried around it, and a new Orthodox church is being built in Šibuljina by the sea. Orthodox families buried in that cemetery are: Prodani, Polibrada, Ćelić (from Asanovac), Poljak, Marinković, Lukić, Babac (Turks from Bajamovec), Štrbo, Matijašić, Kozjak

8) The chapel took its current form in 1830 when it was built from a foundation of stone taken from the Byzantine fortress within which it is located.

KOSTOL SV. MÁRIE MAGDALENY V TRIBNJE MANDALINI

MANDALINA is the last bay in the municipality of Starigrad, or Zadar County, and the first in the municipality of Karlobag, or Lika-Senj County. It belongs to the hamlet of St. Mary Magdalen, which is part of Tribanj. The place is named after the church of St. Mary Magdalene - Trstenica. It is a small ruined church with an inscription from 1181. The church was renovated in 1865 and is considered a medieval sacral object, which future research should certainly prove.

Parish priest Rudolf Brnobić wrote to the Senj Ordinariate on May 25, 1938. The church is about 900 years old, it is historically significant because the border between:

Sava and Primorje Banovina

Dalmatia and Croatia

Venetian and Croatian

Zadar and Senj dioceses, etc.

The church is the wing of the gospel in this parish. Around it is a cemetery where in ancient times parishioners of Lukovo Šugarja from the villages of Marasi and Trošelji were buried.

BARREL ROOFS

"BARREL ROOF" - a unique style of construction of a barrel-shaped concrete roof without reinforcement.

The settlements of the Velebit Podgorje were small and compact, mostly of the Mediterranean type. The houses were furnished simply and modestly, and the furniture was wooden, home-made. On the ground floor there was a fireplace (komin) and a tavern or a stable, and on the first floor (floor) there was a bedroom. The roofs were covered with tiles, and around the beginning of the 20th century, with the advent of cement, barrel-shaped concrete roofs without reinforcement, the so-called krovu na kubu, were installed. They have survived to this day on houses, farm buildings and mills along the Velika Paklenica stream.

ISLAND OF PAG

BEACHES ON PAG

Bošana, Caska, Dinjiška, Dubac –Varsan, Gajac, Gorica, Jakišnica, Kolan, Kolanski Gajac, Košljun, Kustići, Lun Mandre, Metajna, Miškovići, Novalja, Kotočnica, Povljana, Smokvica, Stara Novalja, Stara Vas, Šimuni, Vidalići, Vlašići, Vrčići, Zubovići…

https://www.putovnica.net/plaz...

PAG SALT

Salt is essential for the functioning of the human body. It stabilizes the nervous system and blood pressure. The daily dose of salt needed by an adult is about 6 grams. This is how much is found in the food we consume during the day and it is unnecessary to take an additional amount. Salt is also a natural antidepressant, but consuming more salt than necessary increases blood pressure and can lead to serious problems for human health. Interestingly, the chemical composition of our tears and sweat is identical to that of the Adriatic Sea. The density of seawater in the central and southern Adriatic is 1026g/l, which corresponds to a salinity of 3.5 B° (meaning that 1m³ of seawater contains over 30 kg of table sea salt). Given the huge amounts of seawater on Earth and the salt content in it, seawater is an inexhaustible source of table sea salt. In addition to salt, seawater contains about 50 different minerals, most of which are necessary for the human body. In addition, seawater contains, for example, a large amount of gypsum, but through production in the pool system, unnecessary and harmful substances settle at the bottom of the pool. Visit the salt museum, because you will learn a lot. In addition to details about the history and method of salt production, you will also see the small fish of the Saltworks that helped the Saltworks a lot. Also, all kinds of shellfish that are excellent purifiers. The town of Pag has a thousand-year-old salt production. The Pag salt pans are among the oldest on the eastern Adriatic coast, first mentioned in chronicles in the 10th century. The traditional method of producing salt by natural evaporation was abandoned with the construction of a salt factory. Today, "Solana Pag" with its salt pans and clay evaporation basins covers an area of ​​about 2 million m2 and, together with its nine warehouses and factory, is the largest production facility in Croatia.

PAG CHEESE

is the most famous gastronomic brand of the island of Pag. It is made exclusively from the milk of the indigenous Pag sheep. When the Velebit bora salted the surrounding vegetation, the Pag sheep, eating the salted herbs and medicinal herbs, produces milk with a specific taste and aroma. Mature Pag cheese that is older than five months has a characteristic, spicy taste, a distinctive aroma, and a mild, granular structure that pleasantly crumbles and melts in the mouth. Today, Pag cheese can be purchased in households that produce cheese, or in one of the cheese factories on the island that have combined tradition and technology into one. www.paskasirana.hr

PAG LAMB

has a specific taste due to the area in which the indigenous sheep live and feed. It is karst, bare rocks on which various medicinal herbs grow; nightingale, stingy small grass sprinkled with salt brought by the winter bora. It is precisely because of this breeding and way of feeding that Pag lamb meat has a special taste, and world gastronomes consider it a top-notch specialty.

PAG LACE

is the unique work of hardworking and skilled hands of women from the town of Pag. Lacemaking is very old throughout the Mediterranean. In the town of Pag, its production was recorded as early as the mid-15th century for the needs of women's and church clothing. The Monastery of St. Margaret is the place where the nuns of Pag have taught female children literacy and lacemaking since ancient times. This is directly evidenced by archival sources from 1579. History remembers the time when the women of Pag were invited to Vienna and the Viennese court of Archduchess Maria Josepha, the Empress Mother, to demonstrate how Pag lace was made. The fame of its beauty and perfection spread far and wide, and its production intensified after the establishment of the Lace School in Pag, which was founded in 1906 and operated until 1945. In 2009, Pag lace was included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. Pag lace was entered into the UNESCO register together with Hvar and Lepoglava lace, thus becoming one of the seven intangible cultural assets registered in this register from Croatia. In order to maintain the tradition of sewing Pag lace, in 2008 the nuns began to organize teaching for interested women of Pag. Over time, lace became an independent decorative item, adorning furniture, framed on walls, carved or sewn into clothing, as an ornament on sheets, pillows, curtains, tablecloths and as an ornament on church vestments. Today, Pag lacemakers can be seen on the city streets creating this most beautiful handicraft of women's hands. In the very center of the city, in the Rector's Palace on the Petra Krešimir IV Square, the Pag Lace Gallery has been established. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia has declared the collection that the nuns of the ancient Pag monastery have been collecting and preserving as a cultural asset for over 150 years.

PAG STONE

The Pag Town Tourist Board has prepared four maps for all those eager for the adventurous heights of the island of Pag. The prepared climbing routes are designed for "On flash and Top Rope" climbers. There are many cliffs, rocks and cliffs intended for those who love heights, the so-called "Solo Integrale" climbers. The western part of Pag Bay (Slana) is intended exclusively for climbers who practice technical climbing with the help of ropes. All trails are easily accessible, and are only accessible by sea (preferably accompanied by a guide).

ZADAR

Zadar has a unique combination of architecture and music, the world-famous SEA ORGAN. Located next to the Greeting to the Sun installation, it consists of an organ that produces sound under the influence of the energy of the sea, i.e. waves and tides. The Sea Organ was broken off and then gently shaped and returned to the sea. It stretches for about seventy meters of the Zadar coast, under which, at the level of the lowest tide, 35 pipes of different lengths, diameters and inclinations are installed. When the most beautiful sunset permeates the Zadar waterfront, the light play of the Greeting to the Sun takes place in the rhythm of the waves and the sounds of the Sea Organ.

The modern installation GREETING TO THE SUN is made up of 300 multilayer glass panels in the shape of a circle with a diameter of 22 meters. During the day, it collects solar energy and converts it into electricity, which is then used in and around the installation during the night. Greeting to the Sun is in the immediate vicinity of the Sea Organ, another modern intervention on the Zadar waterfront

THE SQUARE OF FIVE WELLS was built in 1574 during the sieges of the Ottoman Empire, when the defensive ditch on the western side of the bastion, previously dug in the Middle Ages, was covered. In its place, a large cistern for drinking water with five decorated wreaths or wells was created, and parts of the aqueduct that brought water directly from Lake Vrana have also been preserved. After the danger passed, a protective rampart was built on that site.

THE ROMAN FORUM in Zadar is the largest Roman forum on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea. It was the main square of Roman Iadera, where the public life of the city took place, and its construction began in the 1st century BC. It was founded by the first Roman emperor Augustus, as evidenced by two stone inscriptions from the 3rd century when the construction of the forum was completed. The forum measures 90 x 45 meters. It was enclosed by porticoes with galleries on the upper floor. Under the portico were shops and craft shops. Today, only the stairs, the pavement and two monumental columns have been preserved, one of which is in its original place. The column served as a pillar of shame in the Middle Ages, as indicated by the chains nailed to it. The remains of an altar bed were found on the site of the former capitol, where sacrifices were made during rituals. This place still represents the starting point of the planimetry of the city of Zadar.

THE CHURCH OF SAINT DONATUS (originally HOLY TRINITY) is the most valuable monument of pre-Romanesque architecture of the early Middle Ages (9th century) in Croatia and the symbol of the city of Zadar, and due to its distinctive shape, one of the most significant of its kind in Europe.

In terms of construction, it follows the forms of court churches with a circular ground plan from the early Byzantine to the Carolingian periods. However, with its rough monumentality (height 27 and width 22 meters), unusual cylindrical shape and double interior space, it stands out for its originality, without any direct models. According to tradition, it was built by the Zadar bishop St. Donatus in the 9th century, and was mentioned in the 10th century in his famous work On the Governance of the State by the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. It was originally dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and it began to be called St. Donatus only in the 15th century. The church was built in the manner of ancient Croatian architectural solutions with an abundance of plaster and rubble stone. Most of the architectural decoration, as well as the monolithic columns in the church, are of ancient origin and come mainly from the ruined Roman forum. When the foundations of the building were exposed for research, a whole series of tambours of Roman columns appeared on which the church building rests, built directly on the remains of the forum.

The all-time ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM was founded with the aim of collecting, preserving and presenting archaeological monuments of Zadar and the surrounding area, and also takes care of the rotunda of St. Donatus. This museum is perfect for those who want to see what life was like in Dalmatia during the Roman era, and among other things, you can see archaeological remains from the 7th to 12th centuries, most of which are related to the material and spiritual culture of the Croats, as well as prehistoric archaeological material from the Stone and Metal Ages.

Right next to the Archaeological Museum is another cultural offshoot that combines religion and art. Within the BENEDICTINE MONASTERY you can find the Permanent Exhibition of Church Art called "The Gold and Silver of Zadar", which displays reliquaries, statues, paintings of saints and gold embroidery from the 8th to 18th centuries.

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF ZADAR represents an irreplaceable cultural, educational, social and tourist point, where all interested parties can get to know Zadar, the Zadar County and the archipelago, and what they reflect and mean for this region.

The National Museum also houses the PRINCE'S PALACE, which symbolizes a cultural monument and is also recognized as a very attractive city landmark that has hosted exhibitions by the likes of Chagall, Salvador Dali, and Andy Warhol. In addition to larger seasonal exhibitions, the ROKAL PALACE also has a permanent exhibition, Six Salon Stories, which contains pieces of Zadar's history, spanning from the 12th to the end of the 19th century.

On the city walls, which are recognized as World Heritage and protected by UNESCO, there are two original, authentic museums that you will more than enjoy. THE MUSEUM OF ANCIENT GLASS is a unique cultural institution not only in Croatia but also in the world, with its exhibition presenting a unique collection of over 5,000 different glass objects from the ancient era and from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. Throughout the year, the Museum of Ancient Glass has a glass workshop where replicas of ancient glass are made using the hand-blown method. This museum is also special for its various high-quality temporary exhibitions that attract and delight visitors.

If you decide to visit the modern and completely different MUSEUM OF ILLUSIONS, we have no doubt that you will learn a lot about vision, perception, the human brain and science through attractive and entertaining tricks, but also understand much better why the eyes see things that the brain does not understand. By going to the Museum of Illusions, you enter a fascinating world that will shake your confidence in your own senses, but will also delight, confuse and teach you a lot.

ASTRONOMY

Love for nature also includes love for astronomy. There is not much light pollution in Starigrad, so you can still see planets, stars, galaxies and of course the Moon. From our terrace we observe the Perseids with the naked eye. The Moon with binoculars, and the planets with a telescope. Did you know that from Earth you can see the phases of Venus. Like the phases on the Moon. With our telescope you can also see the rings around Saturn. Even Saturn's moons. However, the most beautiful thing is to observe the lunar surface dotted with craters.