Zadar County is a centrally located Croatian coastal region that encompasses the geographical profile from islands, the coastline, over Ravni kotari and Bukovica hinterland, towards the mountain Velebit to the Lika and river Una area. In these circumstances, the Zadar County has a necessity, indeed a responsibility, to define its space and its strategic guidelines in order to improve the life quality of its residents to the greatest extent possible. The aim is that Zadar County residents have opportunity to realize their needs, and at the same time successfully deal with challenges in terms of creating new values in different economic activities, ensuring high-level scope in the sphere of public administration, health and social care, education, culture, science and sports, taking care meanwhile about the protection of nature and preserving the fundamental components of cultural identity.
Zadar County has great potential based on complementarity with natural and cultural heritage.
Culture and creative industries
The rich tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Zadar County, due to the lack of funds, sometimes remains insufficiently valorised. It is also important to raise awareness among the local population about the importance of the heritage possessed by Zadar County and to encourage their involvement in various activities that contribute to the preservation and valorisation of heritage. It is also possible to valorise heritage through the development of creative industries, especially in the film or music industry, on which film and other forms of tourism rely.
It should be pointed out that many institutions have been established in the Zadar County that support and help various aspects of development (ZADRA NOVA, INOVACIJA, AGRRA, etc.). Among other things, they encourage interregional project cooperation within Croatia and with neighbouring countries, especially those within the EU.
These institutions designed systems for the management of cultural events that improve and promote the valorisation of cultural heritage.
Established network of preschool, primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions provides a great potential in the field of upbringing and education. As the founder of all secondary and primary schools in the County, except for those in the city of Zadar, the Zadar County pays great attention to improve the capacity and standards of all its educational institutions.
The University of Zadar is a principal academic institution that, in cooperation with Zadar County, actively participates in international cooperation projects with the county's partner regions. Furthermore, it is important to note that Zadar County has highly developed international cooperation with regions from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Ukraine and the Chinese province of Hainan. As part of its international cooperation, the connection of the University of Zadar with foreign partners is an excellent example of inter-institutional cooperation and promotion of Zadar County.
Preservation of cultural and historical heritage through proper management will enable cultural assets to be protected and valorised through the creation of new cultural tourism products in the County. This is exactly what two cultural institutions founded by the Zadar County, namely the Zadar Puppet Theatre and the Zadar National Museum, take care of. They create an interpretive context that contributes to the placement of cultural products on the tourist market in a competitive and interesting way.
Source: ZADAR COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2021 - 2027 Together for a safer future
