Squeezed into a sheltered bay near the point where the river Krka flows into the Prukljansko Lake, Skradin was a flourishing settlement in the Illyrian and Roman periods (when it was known as Scardona), and subsequently served as the 13th-century power-base for the Šubić princes of Bribir, one of Croatia’s leading aristocratic clans. Skradin fell to the Ottomans in 1522 and most of its population fled to Šibenik, although it was regained by the Venetians in 1684. Nowadays it is an important stepping-stone for tourists bound for the Krka National Park, and an important inland stopping-off point for yachtsfolk touring the Adriatic coast. Skradin is increasingly well known as a gastronomic destination, too, boasting a handful of restaurants offering superb seafood and some unique regional treats.
Lapped by the waters of the Krka, Skradin’s Old Town is centred on the triangular Trg Male Gospe, site of a handsome Baroque parish church with a free-standing belfry. From here a pedestrianized main street heads north, with an atmospheric sequence of arched alleyways leading off on either side. Constantly busy with fishing vessels and yachts, Skradin’s waterfront is also the departure point for shuttle-boats into the Krka National Park (see p.44).