Culture and Heritage

Heritage museum

During hours with the most intense sunshine, except under the cool shade of the pine trees, choose the cool and delightful Heritage Museum of Biograd located on the seaside walkway also known as “the Riva”. Think of it as engaging on a treasure hunt! The heritage museum, along with all the other exhibits, have concealed the true attraction and magnet with visitors in search of the unique exhibit on the Jadran known as “Cargo from a sunken ship from the 16th Century" with over 10.000 exceptionally fascinating objects.

Church of Sv. Stošija (St. Anastasia)

Do you know who is providing your divine protection during your visit in Biograd? Just like all the residents of Biograd care deeply for Sv. Stošija (St. Anastasia) who is the protector of the city and for whom the the parish church was built in the mid-18th century, in the Glavica district. She was a martyred saint from the Srijem area, not terribly far from Dalmatia. The interior has an array of special features, and affixed to the highest gable is a statue of the patron saint herself, who gazes over and protects the city below.

Church of Sv. Ante (St. Anthony)

The church of St. Anthony was built in the mid-19th century. It is interesting, because when it was commissioned to be built, it was located exactly on the shore, at the edge of a huge bay called Jaz. A few years later at the beginning of the 20th century, Jaz was drained, and the new city was built, leaving St. Anthony surrounded by homes and other buildings. This one-nave church is covered with a wooden roof while the half-moon shaped apse is domelike, covered with stone slabs. At the central entrance, the fascae is dominated by a belfry in the shape of a horsetail (? Preslice).

Church of Sv. Roko (St. Rocco)

Did you know: this church was first mentioned in a will and testament naming the church as recipient of an entire olive grove? It’s true. The first written record of this tiny church may be found in a will dated 1653 in which Franica, the wife of Ivana Senjanina, left behind in her will: To the „Church of St. Rocco, which is at the entrance to our village“. St. Rocco is the saint best known as the protector from the plague. The church was built in the late 16th or early 17th century. The church interior is dominated by a gold leaf baroque-style altar from the 18th century.

Basilica of St. John the Baptist

The remains of St. John the Baptist Basilica clearly shows the temperament of Biograd’s stormy past. This Benedictine seminary was built in the 11th century by Croatian king Petar Krešimir IV. However, the seminary “survived” only one century because the Venetians, upon succeeding in their conquest of Biograd, destroyed it, razing it practically to its foundation. The Benedictines, luckily, managed to escape, and under the leadership of their abbot, settled in Šibenik. Four years later, they permanently relocated to the island of Pašman, where on Cokovać hill, they moved into the church of Saints Kuzma and Damian.

A walk through history: monuments of the city of Biograd

Passing through Biograd na Moru, every step takes you through time because the city is a true open museum courtyard, and the monuments you meet at every step tell stories of past times, great persons and events that shaped its history. Thus, at the very beginning of the waterfront near the coast, you will see a monument to King Tomislav, which has the shape of an obelisk, and was made on the model of an identical older monument raised back in 1925, then in honor of the thousandth anniversary of the coronation of King Tomislav.

One of the most significant monuments is certainly the monument to the Armenian Vagan Melik Karaganjan. Vagan Melik Karaganjan is considered the father of Biograd tourism.

A beautiful monument that you can see on the waterfront is the one dedicated to St. John Paul II, Pope. Pope John Paul II had a special relationship with Croatia. The people of Croatia remember him especially because, while Croatia was at war, he gave them hope of peace and support. During his pontificate, St. John Paul II visited the Republic of Croatia three times.

There is also the monument of Dr. Franjo Tudjman, the first Croatian president, whose contribution to the creation of an independent Croatia is invaluable.

Every monument in Biograd is not just a stone or a bronze figure, but a symbol of hope, struggle and vision of the future. Walking through the city, you will feel a connection with past times, while the monuments quietly talk about what Biograd was once, what it is today and what will be in the future.