Seven Kilometres of Time – The State Archives in Zadar

The State Archives in Zadar is one of the oldest heritage institutions in the Adriatic and a key resource for understanding the history of the region. Its roots go back deep into the Middle Ages: as early as 1305, the Zadar Statute prescribed the method and place of keeping wills and documents, while the term “archive” was first explicitly mentioned in Croatia in 1390, in the will of the Zadar nobleman Bartolo Ciprijanov.

Continuity of organized archival activities began on September 20, 1624, when the Provost General Francesco Molina established the Provost Archives. This date is considered the birthday of today’s State Archives in Zadar. Nikola Veglia was appointed the first archivist, and already in 1755, an extensive inventory of the Provost Archives was compiled – one of the oldest such inventories in this part of Europe.

Today, the Archives preserves more than 7,000 linear meters of archival material and more than 800 holdings and collections, spanning the period from the 12th century to the present. As a memory institution, it represents an indispensable starting point for research into the political, social, economic, and cultural history of the Adriatic.

Maritime heritage occupies a special place in the archive funds. Among the oldest documents are documents on fishing rights on Molat and Dugi Otok from 1233, decisions of the Venetian doges on the conduct of seafarers and the organization of crews, the writings of brotherhoods of fishermen and sailors, as well as numerous regulations on maritime health, the education of cadets, and the regulation of fishing during the 19th century.

Cartographic units are also of global significance, particularly in maritime charts and in the Adriatic atlas of special charts, created as a result of the first systematic hydrographic survey of the Adriatic. These charts record depths, ports, sea currents, and anchorages and bear witness to the development of a scientific approach to maritime affairs. The Archive also holds telegrams about the Battle of Vis in 1866, timetables of steamship companies, registry books of island communities, and extensive material on the development of maritime companies.

Despite numerous challenges – fires, wartime removals, and destruction during the 19th and 20th centuries – the State Archives in Zadar has remained a permanent centre for research into the maritime history of the Croatian Adriatic. Today, it is also an active partner in European projects dedicated to the protection, digitisation, and interpretation of the sea’s cultural heritage.