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Biograd na Moru (), shortened to simply Biograd (), is a town in northern
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
,
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
and is significant for being another capital of the medieval Kingdom of Croatia. Biograd is administratively part of the
Zadar County Zadar County ( hr, Zadarska županija ) is a county in Croatia, it encompasses northern Dalmatia and southeastern Lika. Its seat is the city of Zadar. Geography Among the largest towns in the county of Zadar are: Zadar, Benkovac, Bibinje, Bi ...
. It is located on the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
coast, overlooking the island of Pašman, on the road from
Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...
and Sukošan towards
Vodice Vodice may refer to: Croatia *Vodice, Croatia, a town and municipality in Šibenik-Knin County *Vodice, Cres, a village on Cres Czech Republic *Vodice (Tábor District), a municipality and village in the South Bohemian Region *Vodice, a village an ...
and
Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...
.


Etymology

The town's native croatian name fully translates as "the white town on the sea" in the local
Ikavian Shtokavian or Štokavian (; sh-Latn, štokavski / sh-Cyrl, italics=no, штокавски, ) is the prestige dialect of the pluricentric Serbo-Croatian language and the basis of its Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin standards. It ...
dialect. The name ''Biograd'' is a compound literally meaning "white city" and etymologically corresponds to several other toponyms spread throughout the Slavic-speaking world: ''
Beograd Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 million ...
(Belgrade)'', ''
Belgorod Belgorod ( rus, Белгород, p=ˈbʲeɫɡərət) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River north of the border with Ukraine. Population: Demographics The population of Be ...
'', ''
Białogard Białogard (pronounced , german: Belgard, ; Pomeranian: ''Biôłogard'') is a historic town in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland, with 23,614 inhabitants as of December 2021. The capital of Białogard County in the West Pomeranian Voivode ...
'', ''
Belogradchik Belogradchik ( bg, Белоградчик ) is a town in Vidin Province, Northwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of the homonymous Belogradchik Municipality. The town, whose name literally means "small white town," is situated in the foo ...
'' etc. The name was mentioned in the mid-10th century as a town founded in
Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) (152 ...
. It was rendered in Latin as Alba Maritima, meaning "the white maritime (one)".


Geography

Biograd na Moru is located 28 km south from the county capital,
Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...
. It is located on small
peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
between two small bays: Soline to the south and Bošana to the north. To the west are the islands Planac and Sveta Katarina. Average temperature in January is 7.3 °C and 23.9 °C in July. The only
settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...
in the Town is Biograd na Moru itself.


History


Early medieval

A three naved basilica was built on the basis of an older 6th century church during the reign of duke
Branimir Branimir () is a Slavic male given name. It is a combination of the ( Slavic) verb ''braniti'' ("to defend") and the noun ''mir'' ("the world" or "peace" in Old Slavic), and hence means "the one who defends the world/peace". It is especially common ...
in the 9th century. The building later became the cathedral of the Bishop of Biograd. One of the very significant characteristics of this building are the semi-circular
buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...
es, found only on the buildings in Croatia at that time.Nikolina Uroda, Biogradska katedrala, Muzej hrvatskih arheoloških spomenika-Split, Zavičajni muzej Biograd na Moru pp. 22 The city is first mentioned as ''Biogradon'' in the mid-10th century chronicle''
De Administrando Imperio ''De Administrando Imperio'' ("On the Governance of the Empire") is the Latin title of a Greek-language work written by the 10th-century Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine VII. The Greek title of the work is ("To yown son Romanos"). It is a domes ...
''as one of the populated towns in "christened Croatia". It was the centre of the county (''
županija ''Županija'' (singular; plural ''županije'') or ''Župnija'' (singular; plural ''župnije'') is a South Slavic administrative subdivision. For the etymology, see Župa. The term Županija is used in: * Croatia: counties of Croatia * Cantons o ...
'') of Sidraga. There are allegations that the bishopric was founded during this time based on a charter whose authenticity is disputed. Thus, this is not universally accepted by historians. During the wars between
Kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) (152 ...
and the
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
in 1000, the town was captured for a brief time by the Venetians. During this time the Biograd na Moru was mentioned as a castle, and its citizens subsequently swore an oath of fealty to the
Doge A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as " crowned republics". Etymology The ...
, who installed Vitale Michiel as a governor.http://templari.hr/strucni-radovi/ZNANSTVENI%20RAD%20-%20Detaljna%20povijest%20grada%20Biograda%20na%20Moru.pdf During the 1050s, it is for the first time mentioned as the seat of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Alba Maritima Alba Maritima ( it, Alba Marittima) is a Catholic titular see. It corresponds to current Biograd na Moru in Croatia. Its last titular was archbishop Celso Morga Iruzubieta, until he was appointed as coadjutor archbishop of Mérida-Badajoz. His ...
, a
suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...
of
Salona Salona ( grc, Σάλωνα) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Salona is located in the modern town of Solin, next to Split, in Croatia. Salona was founded in the 3rd century BC and was mostly destroyed in t ...
, until its 1226 suppression, when its territory was merged into the nearby Diocese of Skradin. The city flourished during this time. King Peter Krešimir IV founded the monasteries of St. John the Evangelist and St. Thomas in 1059 and 1066, both of them being three-naved basilicas. The nearby 9th century Cathedral was also expanded with a belltower and by adding the southern part of the walls. The function of ''prior'' (head of city elected by its
commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...
in
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
) is attested. The city was also a major port during the latter half of the 11th century. During the succession crisis in 1096, the Norman princess Felicia of Sicily disembarked in the port of the city to marry the Hungarian king Coloman. It was the city where
Coloman of Hungary Coloman the Learned, also the Book-Lover or the Bookish ( hu, Könyves Kálmán; hr, Koloman; sk, Koloman Učený; 10703February 1116) was King of Hungary from 1095 and King of Croatia from 1097 until his death. Because Coloman and his younge ...
was crowned in 1102 by the Biograd bishop Bono, as the crown of Croatia was passed to the Hungarians. In the subsequent years its rule was exchanged between Venice and the Árpád family. At this point, the city is mentioned as a "royal city" (''urbe regia'') for the first time in surviving documents. The expanded name ''Belgradum supra mare'' (Biograd na Moru) is also for the first time attested during this period. Around the year 1115, the city was acquired by the Republic of Venice, which then tore down the city walls towards the sea, so it would "for all times (''per tutti tempi'') remain in the possession of the
Serenissima aSerenissima ( heMost Serene) may refer to: Certain countries * , a name for the Republic of Venice * , the official Latin name of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Art, entertainment, and media * La Serenissima (musical ensemble), a Britis ...
". It was eventually reconquered by
Stephen II of Hungary Stephen II ( hu, II István; hr, Stjepan II; sk, Štefan II; 1101 – early 1131), King of Hungary and Croatia, ruled from 1116 until 1131. His father, King Coloman, had him crowned as a child, thus denying the crown to his uncle Álmos. I ...
in 1124. In 1125, after it again fell to the Venetian hands, it was destroyed on the orders of the Venetian doge because of it vicinity to Zadar. According to the Historia Ducum Veneticorum, only the citizens of Biograd na Moru "... dared resist the doge and his army ...", during his reconquest of Dalmatia but "... their city was razed to its foundations." The city core, consisting of the royal palace, ban's court, as well as monasteries and churches, was plundered. Much of the local monks fled to the nearby islands of
Tkon Tkon is a municipality in Croatia in the Zadar County. According to the 2011 census, there are 763 inhabitants, 98% which are Croats. It is located on the island of Pašman and is connected by ferry to the mainland town of Biograd na Moru. Hist ...
and
Pašman Pašman () is an Adriatic island off the coast of northern Dalmatia in Croatia with an area of 60.11 km2, located to the south of Zadar, surrounded by the islands of Ugljan to the northwest, Iž to the west, and Dugi Otok and Žut to the ...
and the Biograd bishopric was abolished; its territories were added to the Bishopric of Zadar. The population, along with the bishop, moved to
Skradin Skradin ( it, Scardona; grc, Σκάρδων) is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, with a population of 3,825 (2011 census). It is located near the Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, from Šibenik and ...
. A 15th-century drawing that depicts the ruins of Biograd also attest the bishop's palace beside the cathedral, as well as stone buildings and residences. It was another capital of most Croatian regnants such as Stephen Držislav and Peter Krešimir IV, as well as an important religious place.


Later history

In 1202, when the Crusaders of the
Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...
occupied
Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...
, many of its citizens took refuge in Biograd na Moru, then noted as ''Jadra Nova'' ("New Zadar"). Two years later, the most of them left back to Zadar, after which the city was also referred to as ''Jadera Vetula'' ("Old Zadar") or ''Zara vecchia'' in Italian translation. During the 13th and 14th century the city was run by the dukes of
Cetina Cetina () is a river in southern Croatia. It has a length of and its basin covers an area of . From its source, Cetina descends from an elevation of above sea level to the Adriatic Sea. It is the most water-rich river in Dalmatia.Naklada Naprijed ...
, the
Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...
of Vrana and the dukes of Bribir the Šubićes. It was acquired by the
Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
in 1409 and would remain its property until its downfall in 1797. During the Venetian- Turkish wars, the city was gravely damaged, and on two occasions, in 1521 and in 1646, it was destroyed and burned. In the 16th and 17th century, the Croatian militia formed in Biograd na Moru and had much involvement in the wars against the Ottomans. In recent history, the Yugoslavian forces inflicted considerable damage by long-range bombardment in the period 1991-1993 during the
Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...
.


Population

The town and the settlement itself have a population of 5,569 (2011 census). The majority are
Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...
(95%).


Gallery

File:Biograd_1.JPG, Biograd na Moru waterfront


Twin towns – sister cities

Biograd na Moru is twinned with: *
Kressbronn am Bodensee Kressbronn am Bodensee is a municipality and a village in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It lies on Lake Constance. Between 1919 and 2011, Kressbronn was the site of the Bodan-Werft shipyard, which built many of the f ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, since 2010 *
Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historical ...
, Romania, since 2016 *
Slovenske Konjice Slovenske Konjice ( or ; german: Gonobitz, in older sources also ''Gannobitz'') is a town in northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Slovenske Konjice. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. History and town s ...
, Slovenia, since 2019 *
Porto San Giorgio Porto San Giorgio is a ''comune'' (town or municipality) in the Province of Fermo, in the Marche region of Italy. It has approximately 15,700 inhabitants (2021) and it is located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. History Already famous at the tim ...
, Italy


References


External links


Official website

Biograd.info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biograd Na Moru Former capitals of Croatia Cities and towns in Croatia Populated coastal places in Croatia Populated places in Zadar County