Vir

An island in the northern part of the Zadar archipelago, which has been marred by illegal construction of ugly buildings (do NOT go there). It is separated from the mainland by the 3-m-deep and 300-m-wide Privlacki gaz Strait, which is spanned by a bridge. The island is therefore accessible by road. There are several knolls on the higher western part of the island, the highest of which is Bandira (112 m) with the remains of an lllyrian fort. The largest settlement on the island lies on a knoll above the sandy Sapavac Bay. There are a few private campsites on the coast. The remains of the pre-Romanesque Church of sv. Nikola (St. Nicholas) have been discovered in the port. On the cemetery stands the Romanesque Church of sv. Ivan (St. John) from the 12th or 13th century. On the coast lie the ruins of a Venetian fortification from the 17th century, which consist of two guard towers and part of the wall with the entrance gate. In front of the settlement lies a breakwater with a depth of up to 2m, but there are almost no available berths. Three bays on the northern side of the island provide anchorage but they are all exposed to the bora. On the southern side, anchorage can be found in front of the settlement and in a small bay to the east, toward the bridge which connects the island with the mainland.