Biograd na Moru (), shortened to simply Biograd, is a town in northern Dalmatia in Croatia. It is significant for being another capital of the medieval Kingdom of Croatia. Biograd is administratively part of the Zadar County. It is located on the Adriatic Sea coast, overlooking the island of Pašman, on the road from Zadar and Sukošan towards Vodice and Šibenik.
Etymology
The town's full Croatian name means 'white town on the sea' in the local Ikavian dialect. The name Biograd means 'white city' and semantically corresponds to several other Slavic toponyms, including Beograd (Belgrade), Belgorod, Białogard, and Belogradchik. The name was mentioned in the mid-10th century as a town founded in the Kingdom of Croatia. It was rendered in Latin as Alba Maritima, meaning 'white maritime (one)'.
Geography
Biograd na Moru is located 28 km south of the county capital, Zadar. It is located on small peninsula between two small bays: Soline to the south and Bošana to the north. To the west are the islands Planac and Sveta Katarina. Average temperature in January is 7.3 °C and 23.9 °C in July. The only settlement in the Town is Biograd na Moru itself.
Climate
Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was , on 4 August 2017. The coldest temperature was , on 27 December 1996.
History
thumb|left|Ruins of Biograd from 1487.
Early medieval
A three-naved basilica was built on the basis of an older 6th-century church during the reign of Duke Branimir in the 9th century. The building later became the cathedral of the bishop of Biograd. One of the very significant characteristics of this building is the semi-circular buttresses, found only on the buildings in Croatia at that time.
The city was first mentioned as Biogradon in the mid-10th-century chronicle De Administrando Imperio as one of the populated towns in "christened Croatia". It was the centre of the county (županija) of Sidraga. There are allegations that the bishopric was founded during this time based on a charter whose authenticity is disputed. Thus, this is not universally accepted by historians.
During the 1050s, it is for the first time mentioned as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alba Maritima, The city core, consisting of the royal palace, ban's court, as well as monasteries and churches, was plundered. Much of the local monks fled to the nearby islands of Tkon and Pašman and the Biograd bishopric was abolished; its territories were added to the Bishopric of Zadar. The population, along with the bishop, moved to Skradin.
During the 13th and 14th century the city was run by the dukes of Cetina, the Knights Templar of Vrana and the dukes of Bribir the Šubićes. It was acquired by the Venetian Republic in 1409 and would remain its property until its downfall in 1797.
During the Venetian-Turkish wars, the city was gravely damaged, and on two occasions, in 1521 and in 1646, it was destroyed and burned. In the 16th and 17th century, the Croatian militia formed in Biograd na Moru and had much involvement in the wars against the Ottomans.
In recent history, the Yugoslavian forces inflicted considerable damage by long-range bombardment in the period 1991-1993 during the Croatian War of Independence.
Population
The town and the settlement itself have a population of 5,601 (2021 census). The majority are Croats (95,5%).