Knin Fortress ( hr, Kninska tvrđava) is located near the tallest mountain in Croatia,

Dinara Dinara is a long mountain range in the Dinaric Alps, located on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. It has four major mountains or peaks, from north-west to south-east: * Ilica or Ujilica (1654 m) * Sinjal or Dinara (1831 m), ...

, and near the source of the river Krka. It is the second largest fortress in Croatia and most significant defensive stronghold,Hrvatska enciklopedija, Dalibor Brozović, Leksikografski zavod "Miroslav Krleža", 1999, and a historical town in the

Šibenik-Knin County Šibenik-Knin County (; hr, Šibensko-kninska županija ) is a county in southern Croatia, located in the north-central part of Dalmatia. The biggest city in the county is Šibenik, which also serves as county seat. Other notable towns in the co ...

in the

Dalmatian Hinterland The Dalmatian Hinterland ( hr, Dalmatinska zagora; it, La Morlacca or ) is the southern inland hinterland in the historical Croatian region of Dalmatia. The name ''zagora'' means "beyond (the) hills", which is a reference to the fact that it is t ...

. The construction of the fortress started as early as 9th century, while the current state was brought up in 17th and 18th centuries.Grad Knin – O Kninu – Kninska tvrđava

/ref> It reached its peak during the reign of Demetrius Zvonimir,

King of Croatia This is a complete list of rulers of Croatia under domestic ethnic and elected dynasties during the Croatian Kingdom (925–1918). This article follows the monarch's title number according to Hungarian succession for convenience. For example, the ...

from 1076, as it served as a political center of the Croatian Kingdom under him.

Location and description

It is situated on the main transport corridor leading from Dalmatia to continental Croatia and Bosnia. The Knin Fortress lies on top of the steep Spas mountain, just 100 meters (328 ft) above the Croatian town of

Knin Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagr ...

, whose historical location was formed quite early at the foothills of the same mountain. Archaeological excavations date that this area was populated since the 6th century. It is long, and 110 meters (361 ft) wide, elevated at above the sea. The original look of the building, because of the lack of its material, isn't completely known. According to other similar fortifications from that time, it is assumed that it was surrounded by high walls, while the construction was accommodated to the terrain; it is environmentally secured by steep slopes on some places. The fortress comprises three parts: northern, middle and southern. Each part of the fortress is protected by

loophole A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system. Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow ver ...

s and gun holes, and is connected to other parts by the city gates and drawbridges. The formation of the northern section, according to recent research, happened from the middle of the 8th century to the end of the 11th century. Baroque stone gates are set on the main entrance to the fortress, where the doors are made out of oakwood and strengthened with iron nails. This monumental entrance was most likely constructed by Ignacije Macanović, a builder from Trogir. Above the doors, the symbol of 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 ...

can be seen. Towards the northern part, on the left side, a building of the governor of arms used to be there; today it is the old city hall. Left of it were the barracks which eventually became the gallery of the museum of Knin. On the same location a memorial was elevated to fra Lujo Marun (1857–1939), a friar who was the first to instigate archaeological excavations in this area, and to discover many remains of the old Croatian culture. Within the church of

St. Barbara Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in t ...

, a bell is kept as a gift from Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, which was given to Knin during his stay in 1994. The current state was undertaken by a Venetian military engineer, Alberghetti, where an inscription suggests that the construction works were completed in 1711.Starohrvatska prosvjeta, Izdavački zavod Jugoslavenske akademije, 1960 It is protected as a historical urban complex and is inscribed in the register of the Cultural heritage of Croatia as a monument of top importance. The church of St. Barbara, dedicated to

Cyril and Methodius Cyril (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are credited wit ...

, also holds an

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

written in Old Church Slavonic:

History

The

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, ...

built the fortress near a devastated Roman settlement (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Tignino castro''), soon after they settled in the area. Its guardians continuously upgraded the structure to accommodate the defensive needs at that time. It was one of the residences of Croatian monarchs, and possibly became the main residence later, since it was much safer to rule from Knin over the lands of

Liburnia Liburnia ( grc, Λιβουρνία) in ancient geography was the land of the Liburnians, a region along the northeastern Adriatic coast in Europe, in modern Croatia, whose borders shifted according to the extent of the Liburnian dominance at a g ...

and Dalmatia, and to Christianize the pagan Croats in

Gacka Gacka is a river located in the Lika region in central Croatia. Because for a large part of its course it is a subterranean river, estimates on its length vary. The overground part has undergone substantial human intervention - before it was long ...

, Lika and

Krbava Krbava (; ) is a historical region located in Mountainous Croatia and a former Catholic bishopric (1185–1460), precursor of the diocese of Modruš an present Latin titular see. It can be considered either located east of Lika, or indeed as t ...

. This is testified by a handful of churches in the Knin area built in the time of Duke Trpimir. The fortress contained few ceremonial halls and the palace of the Croatian rulers, in which they issued their documents and lived with their courtiers during their stay in Knin. On the other more raised

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

of the mountain Spas, south from the fortress Tnena, a second, smaller fortification was built; the Citadel Lab (

: ''castro Lab, Labwar'') which was the seat of the viceban. The Diocese of Knin was established in 1040 by King

Stephen I of Croatia Stephen I ( hr, Stjepan I.; c. 988 – 1058) was King of Croatia from c. 1030 until his death in 1058 and a member of the Trpimirović dynasty (Krešimirović branch). Stephen I was the first Croatian king whose given name was "Stephen" ("''Stjep ...

, which spanned the area to the river Drava. The bishop of Knin had also the nominal title as the "Croatian bishop".Footprint Croatia, Footprint Travel Guides, 2004, The fortress was divided to a small and a big town in the 14th century. The small town was used primarily for defensive reasons, while the big town comprised the flats that were occupied by the town's governors, bishops or

župan Župan is a noble and administrative title used in several states in Central and Southeastern Europe between the 7th century and the 21st century. It was (and in Croatia still is) the leader of the administrative unit župa (or zhupa, županij ...

s. Suburbs were located just outside the walls. The oldest section is the upper town on the northern side of the fortress, while the middle and lower towns were built in the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

. It is possible that, in the 15th century, during the raising danger of the Ottoman advance towards Europe, an additional railing defensive wall was constructed on which the main entrance to the fortress is situated today. Both of these fortifications, citadels, were connected in a unified defensive complex. In May 1522, the Ottomans laid a siege on Knin that ended on 29 May 1522 with an Ottoman victory. At the end of the 17th century, it was conquered by Venetians until 1797 and the

fall of the Republic of Venice The fall of the Republic of Venice was a series of events that culminated on 12 May 1797 in the dissolution and dismemberment of the Republic of Venice at the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte and Habsburg Austria. In 1796, the young general Napoleo ...

. The oldest known graphical presentation of Knin was recorded on a map of northern Dalmatia and Lika by a Venetian cartographer Matteo Pagano (1515–1588), in about 1525. However, the more detailed description of the urban appearance of the fortification was handed by another Venetian, the military engineer named Orazio Antonio Alberghetti (1656–1690) in one of his schemes made at the time of the expulsion of the Ottomans in 1688.

Flag

16 obljetnica vojnoredarstvene operacije Oluja 05082011 Kninska tvrdjava 155

The Flag of Croatia on Knin Fortress is one of few most important symbols of the recent

history of Croatia At the time of the Roman Empire, the area of modern Croatia comprised two Roman provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the area was subjugated by the Ostrogoths for 50 years, before b ...

. The flag was raised for the first time during the

Operation Storm }) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory for the Croatian Army (HV), which attacked across a front against the self-declared proto-state Re ...

, the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence. Following the capture of Knin (capital of the self-proclaimed proto-state

Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sh, Република Српска Крајина, italics=no / or РСК / ''RSK'', ), known as the Serbian Krajina ( / ) or simply Krajina, was a self-proclaimed Serb proto-state, ...

) on 5 August 1995, the flag was firstly raised by the commander of the 7th Guards Brigade ("Pumas") of the

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF). Role and deployment The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...

, General Ivan Korade, and the next day by the

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the President of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Predsjednik Republike Hrvatske), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the ...

Franjo Tuđman as well. 16 obljetnica vojnoredarstvene operacije Oluja 05082011 112

In addition to its symbolic value, today it has become one of the biggest tourist attractions of Knin and the "obligatory" place for visitors. The original 20-meter flag fluttered during the

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the la ...

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

in 2015, on the occasion of the

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

and the 20th anniversary of the Operation Storm.

Gallery

File:Dan pobjede.JPG File:Ulaz na tvrđavu.JPG File:Kninska fortifikacija.JPG File:Tvrđava Zvonimirovog grada.JPG File:Vojna fortifikacija u Kninu.JPG File:Knin na 20. obljetnicu Oluje.JPG File:Bunar u Kninu.JPG File:Pogled kroz rešetke.JPG

References

{{Castles in Croatia Forts in Croatia Castles in Croatia Buildings and structures in Šibenik-Knin County Military history of the Kingdom of Croatia 9th-century establishments in Croatia Knin Tourist attractions in Šibenik-Knin County

Location and description

History

Flag

Gallery

See also

References