Zadar

Zadar stands on the northern Dalmatian coast, facing a chain of islands across the Adriatic. An ancient city with Roman streets and churches, it was also a prize contested by Venice and the Hungarian-Croatian crown. In 1409 Ladislaus of Naples sold Zadar and his rights in Dalmatia to Venice for 100,000 ducats. The city became the administrative center of Venice's Dalmatian possessions and a stronghold on its maritime routes.

As Ottoman forces advanced into the hinterland in the 16th century, Venice transformed Zadar's defenses for an age of artillery. New walls and bastions enclosed the city, and in 1543 the architect Michele Sanmicheli designed its imposing Land Gate. The fortifications protected a port that remained central to Venetian power in the eastern Adriatic. After the fall of Venice in 1797, Zadar passed between Austrian and French rule before Austrian forces returned in 1813.