Knin Fortress: the royal stronghold on Spas hill
Knin Fortress (Kninska tvrđava) crowns Spas hill, about 100 metres above the town of Knin in the Dalmatian hinterland, near Mount Dinara and the source of the Krka. It is the second-largest fortress in Croatia and was once a political centre of the Croatian kingdom. Its present form is largely Venetian, built over the walls of a much older stronghold.
Knin Fortress stretches for 470 metres along its hilltop, yet almost nothing is known about its original medieval appearance. What survives is largely Venetian, rebuilt around a much older Croatian core.
The history of Knin Fortress
The area around Knin was already inhabited in the 6th century, according to archaeological excavations. Soon after they settled here, the Croats built their fortress close to a devastated Roman settlement known in Latin as Tignino castro. Construction began as early as the 9th century, and the guardians of the fortress kept upgrading it to meet the defensive needs of each age.
Knin became one of the residences of the Croatian monarchs, and later perhaps the main one: from here it was safer to rule over Liburnia and Dalmatia and to spread Christianity among the pagan Croats of Gacka, Lika and Krbava. A handful of churches around Knin dating from the time of Duke Trpimir bear witness to this. The fortress had ceremonial halls and a palace where rulers issued their charters, and on a higher plateau to the south a smaller citadel, Lab, was the seat of the viceban. The Diocese of Knin was founded in 1040 by King Stephen I, and the fortress reached its peak under Demetrius Zvonimir, King of Croatia from 1076.
In the 14th century the fortress was divided into a small and a big town; the small town served mainly for defence, while the big town housed the governors, bishops or župans. Later banovi from the noble families Šubić of Bribir and Nelipić held court here. As the Ottoman threat grew in the 15th century, an additional defensive wall may have been built where the main entrance stands today. The Ottomans besieged Knin in May 1522, and the siege ended on 29 May with their victory.
The Venetians conquered the fortress in 1688 and held it until the Republic of Venice fell in 1797. The Venetian military engineer Alberghetti drew a plan of Knin at the time of the expulsion of the Ottomans, and an inscription records that the rebuilding was completed in 1711. In that year a trench 11 metres deep was cut to divide the Spas hill into northern and southern parts, and the Venetians extended the upper town northwards with bastions, among them the sharp bastion known as Kalunerica with twelve gun openings. The monumental Baroque entrance gate was most likely built by Ignacije Macanović, a builder from Trogir.
The Flag of Croatia on the fortress is one of the most important symbols of recent Croatian history. It was raised here for the first time during Operation Storm in August 1995, the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence, and the fortress is the setting for annual commemorations.
Curiosities about Knin Fortress
- The fortress is 470 metres long and up to 110 metres wide, and its defensive walls, almost 2 km in total, rise in places to 20 metres.
- In 1711 the Venetians cut a trench 11 metres deep to split the Spas hill in two and protect the fortress from the north.
- The bastion called Kalunerica has twelve gun openings and, inside, low vaulted Gothic corridors that look out over the approaches to the hill.
- The Diocese of Knin, founded in 1040, gave its bishop the nominal title of “Croatian bishop”.
- A bell in the church of St Barbara was a gift from Pope John Paul II, who visited Knin in 1994.
- The oldest known picture of Knin appears on a map of northern Dalmatia and Lika by the Venetian cartographer Matteo Pagano, drawn about 1525.
Tours near Knin Fortress
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Knin Fortress
- The fortress is a complex of several sections, each protected by loopholes and gun holes and linked by gates and drawbridges, so allow time to walk its whole length.
- At the main entrance look for the Baroque stone gate with oak doors reinforced with iron nails and the symbol of the Venetian Republic above them.
- Near the northern part stand the old city hall, once the building of the governor of arms, and a memorial to fra Lujo Marun (1857–1939), the friar who initiated archaeological excavations in the area.
- Inside the Kalunerica bastion, dark corridors and low vaults lead past large gun openings; a nearby stone dungeon is covered with a vault of tufa.
- Knin is easy to combine with Burnum, about 14 km away, and the Krka monastery, about 18 km. Check the current opening hours before you go.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Knin Fortress is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Knin Fortress
Questions
Where is Knin Fortress?
It stands on Spas hill, about 100 metres above the town of Knin in Šibenik-Knin County, in the Dalmatian hinterland near Mount Dinara and the source of the Krka.
How big is Knin Fortress?
It is described as the second-largest fortress in Croatia: 470 metres long, up to 110 metres wide and about 345 metres above sea level.
How old is Knin Fortress?
Construction began as early as the 9th century, but its current form dates mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Venetians rebuilt it.
Why is Knin Fortress important in Croatian history?
It was one of the residences of the Croatian monarchs and a political centre of the kingdom, especially under Demetrius Zvonimir, King of Croatia from 1076.
What happened at Knin Fortress in 1995?
The Flag of Croatia was raised on the fortress for the first time during Operation Storm, the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence. It has become one of the symbols of recent Croatian history.
What else is near Knin Fortress?
The Roman site of Burnum lies about 14 km away and the Krka monastery about 18 km.
Also nearby
Burnum
Burnum · Roman legionary camp with a rock-cut amphitheatre
14 km away
Krka Monastery
Kistanje · monastery built over Roman and Gothic remains
18 km away
Krupa Monastery
Krupa · Orthodox monastery on the Krupa river, Dalmatia
30 km away
Dragović Monastery
Vrlika · Orthodox monastery moved to Lake Peruća
32 km away