St. Michael's Castle

St. Michael's Castle, locally known as Tvrđava sveti Mihovil and often called St. Michael's Fort, lies west of the town of Preko on the island of Ugljan, in the county of Zadar in Croatia.

Archaeological excavations revealed that the first fortification at this site was an Iron Age hill fort from the 4th century BC. Later, during the 6th century, the Byzantines built a fortress here, part of a chain of fortifications that protected and controlled maritime routes in the Adriatic. The site was strategically chosen; it sits atop a 263-meter-high hill, the second highest on the island, opposite the city of Zadar on the mainland.

In the 11th century, a Benedictine monastery dedicated to St. Michael was established within the fortress, following the construction of a church there a century earlier.

During the Fourth Crusade in 1202, the city of Zadar was captured and sacked by the Crusaders and Venetians. The following year, the Venetians constructed the present St. Michael's Castle to establish control over Zadar, prevent its reconstruction, and safeguard their maritime trade. However, the citizens of Zadar had enough and besieged and took the castle, imprisoning the Venetian garrison. The castle was heavily damaged during this process. Venetian authority was restored in 1205 following a peace treaty.

Over the next centuries, the citizens repeatedly rebelled against Venetian rule. This led to a 16-month-long Venetian siege of the city in 1345-1346, during which the Venetians unsuccessfully tried to retake the castle. A year later, they succeeded. In 1358, under the Treaty of Zadar, the Venetians relinquished control of the castle, restoring it to Zadar. It was rebuilt after suffering significant damage from Venetian sieges.

Dalmatia, along with St. Michael's Castle, returned to Venetian control in 1409 when Ladislaus of Naples, King of Croatia and Hungary, sold it to them. Over the following four centuries, the castle lost its military importance and served mainly as a lookout post and lighthouse.

Even in the 20th century, the castle sustained war damage, first during World War II, when the castle church was completely destroyed, and the walls were damaged and partially destroyed. Later, during the Croatian War of Independence in the early 1990s, damage was caused by a radio-television antenna being mounted on the fortress just before the war.

Today, the castle is a fascinating mixture of medieval fortifications and modern concrete additions. St. Michael's Castle is open to the public and offers stunning views all around.

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