Skradin ( it, Scardona; grc, ΣκάρδωνStrabo, Geography, §7.5.4
/ref>) is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin County 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 = , capi ...

, with a population of 3,825 (2011 census). It is located near the Krka river and at the entrance to the

Krka National Park Krka National Park ( hr, Nacionalni park Krka) is one of the Croatian national parks, named after the river Krka (ancient Greek: ''Kyrikos'') that it encloses. It is located along the middle-lower course of the Krka River in central Dalmatia, i ...

, from Šibenik and from Split. The main attraction of the park, Slapovi Krke, is a series of waterfalls, the biggest of which, Skradinski buk, was named after Skradin.

History

It was a

Liburnian The Liburnians or Liburni ( grc, Λιβυρνοὶ) were an ancient tribe inhabiting the district called Liburnia, a coastal region of the northeastern Adriatic between the rivers ''Arsia'' ( Raša) and ''Titius'' ( Krka) in what is now Croati ...

city, named Scardon ( grc, Σκάρδων). Later it became a Roman town (Scardona in Latin), as the administrative and military centre of the region. It was destroyed during the

Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roma ...

, and had by the 9th century been settled by Slavs. During the 10th century, it was one of the fortified towns in Croatia, as the centre of the Skradin županija.

Skradin under Šubić rule

In the late 13th and early 14th centuries, Skradin flourished as the capital of the Šubić bans, Paul I and Mladen II. The Šubić's built the Turina fortress on the hill overlooking the Skradin harbor. They elevated the settlement below the fortress to a free city, at which point it also became a commune, and was granted its own statute and administration. They further enriched the city by constructing several richly-endowed monasteries which housed the Dominicans,

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

and other Christian orders.

Decline and Ottoman conquest

Between 1522 and 1684 it was ruled by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

, then again up to 1794 by 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 October 1683, the population of

Venetian Dalmatia Venetian Dalmatia ( la, Dalmatia Veneta) refers to parts of Dalmatia under the rule of the Republic of Venice, mainly from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Dalmatia was first sold to Venice in 1409 but Venetian Dalmatia was not fully consolidated ...

, principally Uskoks of Ravni kotari, took arms and together with the

rayah A raiyah or reaya (from , a plural of "countryman, animal, sheep pasturing, subjects, nationals, flock", also spelled ''raiya'', ''raja'', ''raiah'', ''re'aya''; Ottoman Turkish رعايا ; Modern Turkish râiya or reaya; related to the Arabi ...

(lower class) of the Ottoman frontier regions rose up, taking Skradin, Karin, Vrana, Benkovac and Obrovac. Later, it was occupied by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

as part of the French Empire, then

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. In time it lost its importance as the centre of the region, which shifted to Šibenik, and so it stagnated - the Diocese of Skradin was abandoned in 1828.Naklada Naprijed, ''The Croatian Adriatic Tourist Guide'', pg. 209, Zagreb (1999),

Population

The population of the municipality is divided into the following settlements: * Bićine, population 174 * Bratiškovci, population 251 * Bribir, population 103 * Cicvare, population 18 * Dubravice, population 594 * Gorice, population 27 *

Gračac Gračac (; ) is a town and municipality in the southern part of Lika, Croatia. The municipality is administratively part of Zadar County. Gračac is located south of Udbina, northeast of Obrovac, northwest of Knin and southeast of Gospić. S ...

, population 179 * Ićevo, population 59 * Krković, population 189 * Lađevci, population 112 * Međare, population 6 * Piramatovci, population 275 * Plastovo, population 204 * Rupe, population 470 * Skradin, population 588 * Skradinsko Polje, population 46 * Sonković, population 336 * Vaćani, population 120 * Velika Glava, population 29 * Žažvić, population 30 * Ždrapanj, population 15

Notable people

* Rüstem Pasha

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities and towns in Croatia Populated places in Šibenik-Knin County Cities in ancient Illyria Illyrian Croatia