Novigrad

Novigrad lies below the fortress of Fortica on an inlet of the northern Dalmatian coast. Its castle became the scene of a royal tragedy during the dynastic struggles of Hungary and Croatia. In 1386 Queen Mary and her mother Elizabeth were held captive there; Elizabeth was killed while imprisoned. The stronghold passed to Venice in 1409, and the republic strengthened its defenses as Ottoman power advanced through the surrounding country.

During the Cretan War the Ottomans captured Novigrad in 1646, gaining a fortified port on the Adriatic. Their hold was short: Venetian forces retook the fortress the following year, after about nine months of Ottoman occupation. Fortica remained a Venetian stronghold until the republic fell in 1797, its walls overlooking the sheltered waters and the town below.