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Zadar, Ancient Dalmatian Capital in Croatia, is City of Cool

recommended by Rupert Parker

Zadar, Ancient Dalmatian Capital in Croatia, is City of Cool

Greeting to the Sun, Zadar

To most people Croatia means Dubrovnik, but the Adriatic has a wealth of walled towns and Zadar is one of the most interesting.

There’s been a settlement here since the 10th century BC but it wasn’t until the first century BC that the Romans made it into a colony. The Slavs, then the Croatian kings, followed them until, finally, it was sold to Venice in 1409. Their empire collapsed at the end of the18th century then Austria took over and imported Italians to run the city. They lasted until the 2nd World War and were so hated that, apparently, Tito ordered the city to be bombed to wipe out all trace of their buildings. 60% of the old town was destroyed but the city was rebuilt in the years after the war and today you’d hardly know. Roman remains sit side by side with medieval churches and Italian palaces with the walled traffic-free centre surprisingly compact. There’s a bustling food market here and life is lived in pavement cafes which sprout in every street. Even in the height of the summer tourist invasion, it feels surprisingly relaxed. Everybody stops for coffee at 11 am and of course there’s the obligatory siesta in the afternoon.

Religion is important in a place which boasts more than 30 churches, many of them still full every Sunday, perhaps a hangover from Communist times when you couldn’t be a member of the party if you were a practicing Catholic. The most outstanding is the circular Church of St Donat dating from the 9th Century. It was built over the original Roman Forum, reusing the stones as building material and you can still see bits of old pediments and carvings sticking out from the foundations. Inside two complete pillars have been incorporated into the design and nearby is another pillar where criminals in the middle ages were chained and humiliated. The Romanesque Cathedral of St Anastasia, built in the 12th and 13th centuries is also worth a visit and you can climb the 56 metre tower to get extensive views of the islands round Zadar.

It’s not all ancient history since, in 2005, local architect Nicola Basic created the first musical organ played by the sea on the bomb damaged northern seashore. He carved white stone steps on the quayside and installed 35 musically tuned tubes underneath with openings onto the pavement above. The movement of the sea pushes air through, and creates random sounds, strange subterranean chords, which get louder as the waves get bigger. And in 2008 he followed it with another installation in the same place. The “Greeting to the Sun” is a 22 metre glass circle filled with 300 solar panels that collect the sun’s energy during the day and power a light show during the night. Of course it works in tandem with the Sea Organ and the sounds trigger a display that’s meant to simulate the solar system. The sunsets here are spectacular so at dusk the crowds gather and stay on for this very modern take on “Son et Lumiere”. Singers have even been known to arrive in boats and create impromptu seaside duets.

Zadar is apparently known as Croatia’s “city of cool” for its bars, festivals and clubs. The most famous of these is the Garden, owned and run by members of UB40, and it’s an open-air green space perched on the ramparts overlooking the sea with a great sound system. It also has a sister club, Barbarella’s, just 15 minutes north of the town which is done out in 70’s retro style and hosts the yearly Garden Festival, with the best of Europe’s DJ’s and live acts.