Porta Terraferma in Zadar

Porta Terraferma in Zadar

I started my walk through the Croatian Zadar at the Porta Terraferma. The gate was created in 1543 based on a design by Michele Sanmicheli. At that time, it served to defend the Venetian port city. [German]

The landward gate

The Venetian name Porta Terraferma means something landward gate. Its equivalent Croatian name is kopnena vrata. The designer of the building was the Italian fortress architect Michele Sanmicheli. The Renaissance-style gate has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 2017.

UNESCO World Heritage in Zadar

The Zadar Fortress complex including the Porta Terraferma is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its title is “Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries”. Zadar shares this entry with similar structures in Bergamo, Peschiere del Garda, Palmanova, Šibenik and Kotor.

Sources / More info

  • Link Biography of Michele Sanmicheli on Wikipedia
  • Link Official description of the world heritage site