Nin, Croatia
Encyclopedia
Nin is a town in the Zadar county
Zadar County
Zadar County is a county in Croatia, it encompasses northern Dalmatia and southeastern Lika. Its center is the city of Zadar.- Population :According to the 2001 census, Zadar County has population of 162,045...

 of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

, population 1,256 (2001), total municipality population 4,603 (2001).

Nin was historically important as a centre of a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 Bishopric
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

 in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

. Up to the abolition and Latinization imposed by King Tomislav
Tomislav
King Tomislav was a ruler of Croatia in the Middle Ages. He reigned from 910 until 928, first as Duke of Dalmatian Croatia in 910–925, and then became first King of the Croatian Kingdom in 925–928....

 in the first half of the 10th century, Nin was the centre of the autonomous Croatian branch of the Church. Nin was also the seat of the Princes of Dalmatia. The Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 Gregory of Nin
Gregory of Nin
Gregory of Nin was a medieval Croatian bishop who strongly opposed the Pope and official circles of the Church and introduced the Croatian language in the religious services after the Great Assembly in 926. Until that time, services were held only in Latin, not being understandable to the majority...

 (Grgur ninski) was an important figure in the 10th century Church politics of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....

.

History

A small town near Zadar, Nin has a very rich and tumultuous history. Its location is intriguing; the heart of Nin is its historical center on an islet only 500 meters in diameter. Nin is situated in a lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...

 on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...

, surrounded by natural sandy beaches and linked with the mainland by two stone bridges from the 16th century. According to historians the area of Nin appears to have been settled 10000 years ago. The present-day town on the islet developed 3000 years ago and is one of the older towns on the eastern Adriatic. The area of Nin was colonized by immemorial people of the Mediterranean.

Since the 9th century B.C. the civilization of the Illyrian tribe of Liburnians was present before the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 came, who had a strong sea and trade center called Aenona. The rich archeological finds prove strong sea links with Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 and the Hellenistic world: recent explorations revealed a rarity, a very well preserved Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...

 mosaic on the floor of a Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...

.
The Croats colonized Nin at the beginning of the 7th century. The first Croatian state community was formed at the end of the 8th and beginning of the 9th century. Nin was the first Croatian royal town, with its period of glory being from the 7th to the 13th centuries. In the 9th century Nin became the seat of the first Croatian bishop. Bishops from Nin played a great role in the country's religious, a cultural and a political sense. Their struggle for national language (Glagolitsa) was a struggle for Croatian independence. Significant rulers connected with the history of Nin include Prince Višeslav
Višeslav of Croatia
Višeslav was one of the first princes or dukes of Littoral Croatia.He ruled with the support of the Pope and Byzantium. The Croats warred against the Franks during his rule and avoided defeat until 803 - a year after his death...

, Prince Branimir, King Tomislav
Tomislav
King Tomislav was a ruler of Croatia in the Middle Ages. He reigned from 910 until 928, first as Duke of Dalmatian Croatia in 910–925, and then became first King of the Croatian Kingdom in 925–928....

, King Petar Krešimir IV, King Zvonimir.

At the time of Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 war, Nin was on the battle-field. After the selling of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....

 to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 (1409), Nin came under the control of Venice. Since then began its destruction; it was economically exploited but not protected militarily. The town was destroyed twice. The first destruction was 1571 and the second on 28 April 1646. The Venice government gave an order to burn the town and destroy it systematically. According to historians, the Venice government sacrificed Nin and left the burnt town to the Turks to save the town of Zadar. Monument, churches, and the king's and bishops palaces in Nin were destroyed and have never been renewed.
The economic development of Nin began after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Since 1969, Nin has been developing as a tourist destination. Nin today is historical and tourist town which looks for its developing in valorization of historical heritage. In recent years, many monuments have been restored. Because of the importance of Nin in the history of Croatia, tourists visit from Croatia and elsewhere in Europe. They come especially to visit two symbols of the old town: the church of Holy Cross from the 9th century called “the smallest cathedral in the world” and the coronation church.

After 1980 near Nin a high power mediumwave broadcasting station was built.

Broadcasting Station

Near Nin, there is the most powerful broadcasting station of Croatia. It works on 1134 kHz with an output power of 600 kW ( before its destruction in 1991 1200 kW) and can be easily received in whole Europe at night time. The transmitter, which went in service in 1984 used before 1991 as antenna 4 guyed mast radiators insulated against ground with a height of 132 metres. In 1991 the station was destroyed during the Croatian independent war. Its missing signal was the most characteristic physical evidence of the war in Croatia. After the end of the war it was restored, but first not in fully extend: only 2 of its masts were rebuilt and the transmitter has only 600 kW output power. The other 2 masts were rebuilt several years later. http://www.oiv.hr/default.asp?ru=125&gl=200705210000001&sid=&jezik=1

External links

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