Power in Venetian-era Zadar was concentrated in two adjacent buildings on Petar Zoranić Square: the Rector’s Palace, where the city administrator held court; and the Proveditor’s Palace, where the proveditor or governor of Dalmatia based his HQ. Now thoroughly and expensively restored, these two historic buildings contain an arts-and-museum complex known as The Two Palaces (Dvije Palače).

The Proveditor’s Palace

Located on the left side as you pass through the main entrance, the Proveditor’s Palace is now home to the city’s modern art gallery, with two floors of galleries overlooking a central atrium. The collection will change every year or so but this is one place in the city where you are guaranteed to see something strikingly contemporary. And the building complements the edgy modern stuff rather well.

The Rector’s Palace

On the other side of the complex in the Rector’s Palace are concert halls, recording studios, and a series of themed rooms that tell you something about Zadar’s history. Each displays a themed collections of furniture and paintings that reach out to a past epoch. There’s a striking collection of seventeenth-century portraits portraying the Nassis family, many of whom served as administrators during the period of Venetian rule; and a rococo room recalling the tastes of the liqueur-brewing dynasty the Luxardos, Look out too for Dalmatian artist Vlaho Bukovac’s full-length portrait of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I.

Practical Info

Trg Petra Zoranića 1

Open: Monday – Friday 8:00 – 20:00 Saturday 8:00 – 13:00

Tickets: €5