February 18th, 2022 - Archaeological research was conducted on St. Michael's fortress on Ugljan island, which is set to become a tourist attraction dedicated to the cultural heritage of all Zadar islands

Archaeological research has been underway at St. Michael's fortress on Ugljan island for several years now. During the third excavation campaign, archaeologists found modern, medieval and late antique coins, as well as 14 fragments of stone sculpture.

As reported by Naši Školji, a small amount of archaeological material was collected, mostly ceramics, which will be stored at the Archaeological Museum in Zadar after preliminary processing and analysis.

Research was conducted by the company Arheolog d.o.o. from November 3rd to December 8th, 2021. Archaeologist Damir Martinov, head of the company that carried out the work, explained that the recent research provided valuable insight into the stratigraphy and chronology of the embankment on the south-west side of the fortress, which once used to house the church of St. Michael. 

‘Several layers of the embankment have been documented, dating to different periods. The two upper layers of the embankment were formed during the 20th century, as evidenced by the remnants of various materials from recent history. The thick upper embankment on the southern side, made of stone and soil, was consolidated by a dry stone wall, and was made by demolishing the ruinous Romanesque-Gothic church of St. Michael after World War II. Inside the embankment, thirteen stone artefacts from the church were found (fragments of pillars, lintels, capitals, consoles, arch openings, etc.). The lower, thinner embankment layer probably formed during the first half of the 20th century’, explained Martinov.

One of the embankment layers dates to the early modern era, i.e. between the 16th and the 18th centuries. Three layers date to late middle ages; a silver Venetian coin was found in one of the layers, minted for the Doge of Venice Andrea Dandolo (1343-1354).

In another late medieval layer, researchers discovered late antique coins dating to the first half of the 4th century - a significant find that points to activity on the site in late antiquity.

A captain's house dating to the 1400s was also discovered at the fortress during an earlier research campaign. 

‘Archaeological research was conducted as part of the reconstruction and revitalization of St. Michael's fortress, which is a protected cultural asset of the Republic of Croatia and is supposed to contribute to the sustainable economic development of Ugljan and Pašman islands, as well as development of cultural and active tourism. A project for the reconstruction of the fortress will be developed based on the results of the archaeological research. So far, a geodetic study and geodetic survey, a conservation study and an architectural survey of the fortress have been completed’, said Preko Mayor.

There are big plans for the fortress of St. Michael, which is supposed to become a so-called Castle of Island Stories, an interpretation center that will introduce visitors to the heritage of all Zadar islands.

Research was conducted by archaeologists Damir Martinov, Domagoj Maurin and Dominik Kelava of the company Arheolog, in collaboration with archaeology students Pio Domines Peter, Domagoj Knez, Luka Žarković, Eugen Fritz Prgomet and Leona Valenta. The experts were assisted by four workers from Ugljan.

September 18, 2021 - With the same views and colors of summer but without the extreme temperatures, many sports lovers and fans find the best conditions for activities such as marathons or hiking, and several will meet on September 25 and 26 on the island of Ugljan for the long-awaited return of the Zadar Outdoor Festival.

The end of September is an ideal time to spend a weekend in nature with your family and escape for a while from the city crowds. The Zadar Outdoor Festival, for its first part of the autumn edition, will be held in Preko on the island of Ugljan, on September 25 and 26, and you can participate in as many as four sports, reports Turističke Priče.

Although two years have passed since the last Zadar Outdoor Festival, the enthusiasm has not dropped at all, on the contrary, it is even greater. The climate of the island of Ugljan is often called the olive climate and is ideal for outdoor activities throughout the year. The warmth of the sea makes winters mild and hot summers less hot. The annual number of sunny days is about 120, which means that every third day is clear.

An interesting route has been prepared for competitors in kayaking and SUP, which leads around the islet of Galevac in front of Preko, and which is dominated by the church and monastery of St. Paul from the 15th century. The route is challenging and the view unforgettable.

This year, the organizers of the Zadar Outdoor Festival have prepared a new discipline, so all lovers of heights will be able to enjoy speed climbing. Željina Litica podno sv. Mihovila on the island of Ugljan is a three hundred meters wide rocky barrier with a height of 10 to as much as 60 meters. The ambiance at the foot of the cliff among the forests of holm oak and ancient olive trees is special, and the additional charm is given by the clear views of the Zadar archipelago.

In recent years, there has been an incredible increase in interest in sports. Artificial rock halls are springing up everywhere, the number of professional sport climbers is growing, and a decision was recently made to enter sport climbing into the Olympic sports community.

In addition to the competitive part of the festival, interesting workshops await you. So you can sign up for a kayak workshop for children, yoga, and a sport climbing workshop. But that’s not all from this year’s Zadar Outdoor Festival edition. Two weeks later, on Saturday, October 9, another interesting trail is being prepared: Ravni kotari.

The region is known in the world as one of the most attractive in the Mediterranean. What continues to be promoted is the beautiful landscape characterized by exceptional geographical diversity, making it an ideal place to conduct a variety of outdoor sports activities.

Exercise and being in nature speed up blood flow releases endorphins and reduces overall stress levels. Just 30 minutes of walking a day can help improve mental health; can improve general mood and sleep quality, reduce stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Physically active people face up to 30% less risk of becoming depressed, and physical activity helps them recover from depression.

You can sign up for all disciplines of the Zadar Outdoor Festival via the LINK, and follow all the news related to the festival on the social networks Facebook and Instagram.

For more on lifestyle, follow TCN's dedicated page.

Zadar Port's coverage is set to cover a wider maritime area as a new high-speed line which will transport passengers along the Zadar-Preko (Ugljan) route is prepared for introduction.

You might look at the idea of life on a quiet, idyllic Croatian island as the absolute epitome of bliss. With a daily view of the sparkling Adriatic sea and stunning scenery at your fingertips, it's hard to think of it in any other way from afar.

You'd be right in some aspects, but every rose has its thorn and when it comes to these little pieces of paradise dotted along the Croatian mainland, the issue of secure, regular maritime transport has become a common bone of contention for their permanent inhabitants.

As Morski writes on the 23rd of May, 2020, the Croatian Government has adopted a proposal for a decision to expand the coverage of the Zadar Port basin by as much as 114,936 square metres in order to create new traffic areas and introduce a high-speed line intended for maritime passenger traffic on the Zadar-Preko route.

The aforementioned Zadar-Preko line is the busiest line connecting the island community with Zadar on the mainland, but currently, in the area of the City Port, the line is suffering from traffic restrictions due to other high-speed shipping lines to the surrounding islands.

Due to the traffic and a larger number of tourist boats operating during the summer season in the area, there is an obvious need to increase the level of general maritime traffic safety in the entire basin covered by Zadar Port, which will be achieved by arranging and expanding the defined coastal zone.

The pool of Zadar Port is being expanded in accordance with the Spatial Development Plan of the City of Zadar.

For more on maritime connections and links between Croatian islands, follow our dedicated travel page.

In the past two years, as much as 2,180,000 kuna has been invested in educational institutions and the improvement of the school system in the Preko Municipality in Zadar County.

As Morski writes on the 21st of October, 2019, according to Preko's Jure Brižić, the implementation of several important projects has raised the quality of education throughout the island. One of the most important and recent investments was the rehabilitation of the Lukoran school, according to a report from Nasi skolji.

''Unfortunately, the school didn't have the satisfactory pedagogical standards and conditions for teaching. As the number of children increased this year, it was also necessary to provide an additional classroom. In order to enable the children in Lukoran to attend a normal school and to attend classes in adequate conditions, we launched the rehabilitation and renovation project which included the reconstruction of the roof, the installation of PVC windows and air-conditioning. Laminate flooring, plastering and painting works were completed, and all costs totalled 330,000 kuna. The project was implemented and co-financed in cooperation with Zadar County as the founder of the school, and we brought these joint efforts to an end before the start of the new school year,'' according to Brižić.

For all of the works, including the project documentation, the reconstruction and equipping of three new classrooms, the Municipality of Preko, along with Zadar County provided a total of 820,000 kuna.

''With this project, we've greatly raised the quality of the pedagogical standard to the children on our island because children from Kukljica to Ugljan attend upper grades at their primary school in Preko.

In this way, the reconciliation of extracurricular and all other family and parental responsibilities was facilitated, thus raising the quality of life for families with children from all over the island. In addition, holding one-hour classes also enabled the use of the school hall in the afternoon to all other users, sports clubs and associations, young people, children and others who use the hall for training, competitions, recreation and the like,'' clarified Brižić, noting that Preko will always try to do its best to better the schools' conditions.

He cited the situation in September 2017, when the ground floor and the sports hall of the Valentin Klarin elementary school were severely flooded. By a joint agreement, Zadar County applied the project at a tender run by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, which approved the money for the reconstruction of the hall in the amount of 760,000 kuna.

A new parquet floor was installed, thus enabling the smooth running of physical education classes as well as various other extracurricular activities.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

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