Meet The Skradin
Situated on the right Krka bank, dating back from the Middle Ages, Skradin is actually a city, which was built on the foundations of the Roman Scardona. It is a city with a rich and famous history, dating back to the Iron Age, but the name Scardona is mentioned for the first time later in the 1st century B.C., when it was a Roman municipality and later the capital city of the Roman district Liburnia on the river Titius, the Krka today. The signs which indicate that the city existed with Illyrian and later Roman characteristics are today mirrored in rich archaeological funds at the localities of the metropolis in Rokovača, Đardin and Maraguša.
The results of systematic archaeological researches, which lasted for 30 years, have confirmed that there existed- besides some Roman sarcophaguses a harbour plant Horea with ornaments of a stone mosaic in that green bay, which undoubtedly indicates that Scardona was an important merchant harbour in the Roman period. The area Đardin with its rich archaeological funds indicates that members of the high social class lived in the Roman City, which can be seen in the found golden ornaments, bracelets, necklaces and rings made of amber as well as medical tools. High army officers lived in Maraguša during the period of 1st to 5th century A. C.
By the end of the 5th and at the beginning of the 6th century the Roman Scardona is being devastated by the hostile Goths and Avars. However even before the arrival of the Slavs, Skradin is becoming a city of Christianity and humanity. This actually means that after the period of the late Antique, it became the bishopric seat already in the year 530 and this was maintained up until the year 1830 with some interruptions due to Islamic invasions during the Middle Ages. During these 13 centuries, while it was the bishopric seat, the city gave to the church many bishops among whom there are Grgur Ninski, Toma Niger and the enlighter of the contemporary church of the Holy Virgin-Dr. Antun Becić.
The baroque church Porođenja Blažene Djevice Marije was built on the foundations of a cathedral which was destroyed by the Turks, who ruled Skradin during the period of 1522 -1683. The church was built by Venetians and the building lasted 10 years, from 1747-1757. Above the inner part of the portal, an organ of the Nakić school, built by the Italian constructer Francesco Dacci, was installed in the wooden construction in 1776. Severely damaged during the Serbian aggression, they have been restored with the money of the Ministry of Culture and proclaimed the state's cultural good, due to its high artistic value.
The rich cultural heritage of the ancient Skradin is today recognisable by its architectural combinations of exclusively western origin. This can be perfectly seen on one of the most beautiful objects, Nadžupsko-Opatski Dvor, which is by itself a museological stock of sacral and ethnographic treasures. With the picture gallery of the Church of the Holy Virgin, this cultural object contains a whole range of valuable artistic paintings, oil-paintings, dating back from the 17th and 18th century as well as a collection of brocaded ecclesiastical cloth and sacral liturgical ornaments, grails, reliquaries... and a very valuable library.
The town of Skradin is a typical Mediterranean town with elements of Middle Age architecture suited for urban Dalmatian areas. Its ambient architectural heritage is ornamented by narrow streets and half-circular arches. The frontal parts of the houses are mostly plastered and only a small part is crowned with the appropriate stone layers. Above the old core, which is a protected cultural monument, there is a historical fortress Turina from which one can enjoy a wonderful view at the town-silhouette and the God-given Skradin seaside.
During the rule of Šubići Bribirski, in the 14th cent. whose seat was the neighbouring Bribir (they ruled Croatia and Bosnia), the Skradin seaside was a merchant harbour during the war. Different merchant goods were exported by ships (olive oil, wine...), among others the silkworm which was used to produce silk. This is underscored by the rich vegetation which reminds of these periods.
In the beautiful natural oasis of the Rokovača bay and at its very entrance, where there used to be a Roman harbour-plant, there is an ACI-marina which serves the development of the nautical tourism. Due to its extra ordinal and beautiful location, this tourist destination has always been very tempting for every sailor. It is actually no surprise that the nautical centre ACI has become the most visited place for yachts in transit, in the area of Šibenik's seaside and its islands which are visited by many European and global VIPs as well as royalties.
Skradin's historical and cultural riches with its abundant natural wealth of the green beauty Krka make a unique and indivisible whole. That is why the ancient city has become the entrance to the National Park Krka. The most beautiful and the most visited waterfalls are named after Skradin Skradinski Buk. The river has during thousands of years brought many of micro organisms who shape the famous waterfalls in the world of the famous river.
The destination Skradinski Buk is the central part of the Krka phenomenon. It actually presents besides its natural riches a real stock of historical and cultural heritage which is mirrored in old mills, which function even today. In some of the old buildings there are traces of old times and this is underscored by the museological and ethnographic collection which witnesses an old authentic life at the Krka shore. There is also the plant HE Jaruga which was built by the end of the 19th century.
Embraced by the green river and the blue sky, below the Svačić Kamičak, in the middle of the stream lies the islet Visovac. It was inhabited by Franciscan monks in the year 1445. On the rock called Lapis albus- The White Rock- they built a monastery to the Gospa od Milosti (Lady of Grace) and a church dedicated to the Gospa od Anđela (Lady of Angels). The Visovac oasis of peace and prayers in the heart of the park of the Lady is ornamented with the exceptionally valuable museum collection and a rich library with unique titles and exhibits like the sabre of Vuk Mandušić, the legendary hero who fought for the cross and the golden freedom.
Sailing upstream the Visovac between the Grede, the phenomenon is crowned with the waterfalls of Roški Slap which were named after the building Rog. In the middle of the 14th century this fortress was mentioned as the seat of earls of Ugrinić and the surroundings were named Rogovo. It is actually a space which was in the late Middle Ages a town of the Martinušić nobles, popularly called Babingrad. Besides the renewed hydroelectric power station, the authenticity of the ambient area of Roški Slap is also confirmed by the values of the Franciscan and Skelin mills as well as watermills with the ethnographic museoligical exhibits.
Bribirska Glavica is an archaeological locality and a cultural monument of the highest class. Its history reaches far back to the neolith, where the continuity of life is older than 3 thousand years. It is a locality which stands for a mixture of Prehistory, Antique and the Middle Ages. Archaeological researches at the Glavica in 1911 were initiated by Fra Lujo Marun, the founder of the Croatian National Archaeology and thanks to him and his followers, these very valuable exponents dating back from the bronze and antique-roman period of Varvaria as well as Old-Croatian and Middle-Age Croatian history, were presented to the public in a representative museum collection.
In the cradle of Skradin's agriculture in the bay of Rokovača, rare fruits, which ripe in early autumn, have been cultivated. The Skradinians call it "žižula", other than the inhabitants of Dubrovnik who call it "ćićimak". The fruit is brown and has the size of an olive. It is rich with vitamin C, minerals and cellulose as well as glucose. It grows only on the Dalmatian shore and somewhere even on the islands. It is assumed that the žižula was brought to Skradin by seamen who came from tropical areas.
The Seaside of the Prukljan Lake is an extremely interesting tourist attraction due to its beautiful nature where it is situated. At the point where the saltwater comes together with the river, a really natural treasure due to this unique natural phenomenon ( these are rare in Europe) is joined with the sea- flora and fauna, crystallizing in the diversity of the green, brown and red algae as well as river- and sea-fish. Due to the many kinds of micro organisms of vegetal and animal origin, the quality of the fish is at a very high level, and one gets to experience full gastronomic pleasure by tasting it with domestic wine.
In the streets of Skradin and under the window of a beloved person one could always hear the true Dalmatian Klapa song. These were also taken over by some female vocal groups. The Klapa poly-sonority, which has its rich tradition, is presented to lovers of the Dalmatian song every year on the 1st Saturday in August at the central cultural manifestation, the meeting of Dalmatian Klapas where the lovely sound of music fills every corner of the city on the right bank of the river Krka. The song turns actually into a special ear which listens to the heart of Dalmatia, its rocks and the whisper of the sea.
Writen by Ivica Sušić (1953-2009)
