Nin has a history going back three thousand years. The settlement was founded by the Illyrian tribe of Liburnians in the 9th century BC and known as Aenona. The settlement lies on a small island surrounded by walls. The houses were built of dry stone and the people were prosperous. During Roman rule, Nin was an important municipality and seaport. Visit the ruins of the houses and mosaics. For commercial purposes a large harbor was built in the present-day area of the holiday resort Zaton. The most important complex from the Roman era was the Forum with the Capitolium, another testimony of the Roman era is the temple. Nin had a water supply system at that time.
In its long history, Nin was destroyed several times. In 1646, Venice sacrificed Nin to save the fortress of Zadar from Turkish invasion. It was the birthplace of the Croatian state. Nin is also the oldest Croatian royal city, a permanent or occasional seat of national rulers: dukes Višelav, Trpimir and Branimir, kings Tomislav, Petar Krešimir IV. and Zvonimir, Dukes Šubić of Bribir etc....
I recommend parking your car in the pay parking, 2 eur per hour, next to Tourist Info Center, in Trg braće Radić 3, and next to the Lower Bridge, where the pedestrian area begins. In the Old Town there are stone streets where you'll find restaurants, souvenir shops, ice-cream shops, in addition to sights.
(click on objectives for extended version)
At the Lower Bridge (Donji Gradski Most) is the statue of the Duke Branimir (Knez Branimir). Branimir was Duke of Croatia from 879-892. His country received papal recognition as a state from Pope John VIII in 879. During his reign, Croatia became independent. After the bridge, we enter through Lower Gate (Donja Gradska Vrata) on the island in the old town. The gate was built in 16th-18th centuries.
Duke Branimir
Lower Bridge
view from the Lower Bridge
me in Podul de Jos
Podul de Jos in the evening
Waterfront in Nin
The parish church of Nin is an old building dedicated to St. Anselm. Next to the church stands the bell tower, where many tourists pose on its steps. Here you can also visit the hoard or treasury of the parish church, where the gold and silver from Nin is kept. Behind the parish church is the church steeple, and beyond it Church of the Holy Cross. The parish church of St. Anselm is the first Croatian cathedral in the 6th-18th centuries. Nin's bishops were famous for the Croatian Church, among them the most prominent was Grgur Ninski, a fighter for the preservation of the Croatian folk spelling, Glagolitic.
Bell tower
Bishop Gregory de Nin
Church of the Holy Cross
The Treasury
Parish Church
We continue guided by the map to Banovac. Here is the memorial park dedicated to the Croatian Renaissance poet Peter Zoranic Ninjanin, who lived in the 16th century. The cemetery is in the immediate vicinity of our next stop.
park entrance
memorial park
We arrived at the other gate of the old city. It's called the Upper Gate. This is the access to the Upper Bridge. Following the gate you can see the ruins of the city walls.
The Upper Gate and the Wall
Upper Gate
Upper Bridge
city wall
From the waterfront, we head past the old but renovated walls and walk past the ruins of Roman houses and mosaic to the ruins of the Roman temple. From here we return along the old streets, which give the tourist vibe of the place, to the Tourist Info Center crossing the Lower Bridge and admiring the cliff in the moonlight.
Roman temple
Roman houses
The other day we went for a minicab ride. It stops right next to the roundabout near the Tourist Info Center in Nin. There are only 4 rides a day running on a posted schedule. The cost of a one-way trip is 5 Eur. It runs on the Nin - Zaton route to the Zaton Holiday Complex. Travel time 10 minutes.
mini directory
mountain view
Nin is a Croatian town with an ancient history dating back to the 9th century BC. Nin was the first political, religious and cultural center of medieval Croatia.
Visit also Regina beach of Nin! 17 km away you should not miss a evening visit in Zadar to catch the sunset at The Greeting to the Sun!
All the best!
Steps:
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