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Nin
The church of The Holy Cross in Nin originates from the 9th century
Nin Location of Nin within Croatia
Coordinates: 44°14′N 15°10′E / 44.233, 15.167
Country	Croatia
County	Zadar
Government
- Mayor	Emil Ćurko (HDZ)
Population (2001)
- Total	1,256
	4,603 (municipality)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	23210
Area code(s)	023
Website: grad-nin.hr

the Nin municipality within the Zadar County

Nin (Latin Aenona or Nona) is a town in the Zadar county of Croatia, population 1,256 (2001), total municipality population 4,603 (2001).

Nin was historically important as a centre of a Christian Bishopric in the Middle Ages. Up to the abolition and Latinization imposed by King Tomislav in the first half of the 10th century, Nin was the centre of the autonomous Croatian branch of the Church. Nin was also the seat of the Princes of Dalmatia. The Bishop Gregory of Nin (Grgur ninski) was an important figure in the 10th century Church politics of Dalmatia.

A small town near Zadar, Nin has a very rich and tumultuous history and his location is also very interesting. The heart of Nin is the historical center on an islet with only 500 m diameter. Nin is located in a lagoon on the eastern part of the Adriatic Sea, surrounded by natural sandy beaches and linked with the mainland by two stone bridges from the 16th century. A continuity of life on the area of Nin appears 10000 years ago, according to the historians. The present-day town on the islet developed 3000 years ago and belongs to the older towns on the eastern part of the Adriatic. The area of Nin was colonized by immemorial people of Mediterranean. Since the 9th century B.C. the civilization of the Illyrian tribe of Liburnians was present before the Romans came, who had a strong sea and trade center called Aenona. The rich archeological finds prove of strong sea links with Greece and Hellenistic world: the newest explorations found a rarity, a very well preserved Byzantine mosaic on the floor of a Roman villa.

The Croats colonized Nin at the beginning of the 7th century. The first Croatian state community was formed at the end of the 8th and at the beginning of the 9th century. Nin is the first Croatian royal town, and the glorious period was between the 7th and 13th centuries. Since the 9th century Nin was the seat of the first Croatian bishop. The bishops from Nin played a great role in the country's religious, a cultural and a political sense. Their struggle for national language (Glagolitsa) was a struggle for Croatian independency. Significant rulers connected with the history of Nin include Prince Višeslav, Prince Branimir, King Tomislav, King Petar Krešimir IV, King Zvonimir.

At the time of Turkish war, Nin was on the battle-field. After the selling of Dalmatia to Venice (1409), Nin came under the control of Venice. Since then began its destruction; it was economically exploited but military not protected. The town was destroyed twice. The first destruction was 1571 and the second on 28 April 1646. The Venice government gave an order to burn the town and destroy it systematically. According to historians, the Venice government sacrificed Nin and left the burnt town to the Turks to save the town of Zadar. Monument, churches, and the king's and bishops palaces in Nin were destroyed and have never been renewed.

The economic development of Nin began after World War II. Since 1969, Nin has been developing as a tourist destination. Nin today is historical and tourist town which looks for its developing in valorization of historical heritage. During the last years many monuments were restored, and because of the great role of Nin in the Croatian history, tourists visit from Croatia and Europe. They come especially to visit two symbols of the old town: the church of Holy Cross from the 9th century called “the smallest cathedral in the world” and the coronation church.

• official site
• Nin tourist site
• Nin information

Coordinates: 44°14′N, 15°11′E