Discover the Charm and Energy of People’s Square Zadar

A Coffee Ritual in the Heart of Zadar

In Zadar, there is one place that needs no introduction: Narodni Trg, or the People’s Square. It is not just a square, but the city’s living room, a space where past and present meet, and where every coffee turns into a ritual.

When I sit at one of the café tables, I always get the same feeling: as if I’ve stepped into a book that writes itself, page by page, with the main characters being the people around me. The waiter already smiles at me, knowing my order by heart: a big macchiato and a glass of water. I order it more out of habit than desire, because what I am truly seeking is not the drink, but the feeling of belonging to this vivid scene.

In the morning, the square belongs to the elderly. Men in colorful shirts lean toward each other, speaking in tones quieter than they think, so that the whole square knows their debates about politics, football, or the weather. Ladies, elegantly dressed with a scarf neatly folded in their purses, sip long coffees with warm milk. They laugh out loud, talking about their grandchildren, about shopping at the market, about the prices of fish which, they say, no longer make sense.

Historic Buildings Around People’s Square

Beyond the people, the architecture of People’s Square tells its own timeless story.

The City Loggia

The City Loggia, first built in the 13th century and renovated in the 16th century in Renaissance style, once served as a civic palace and a place for public gatherings. Today, it is an exhibition space. (Source: Narodni muzej Zadar ↗)

The City Guardhouse

Opposite stands the City Guardhouse, built in 1562. It is believed that the building was designed by the Venetian architect Giangirolamo Sanmicheli, the nephew of the famous architect Michele Sanmicheli. Its clock tower has been marking time for centuries and over centuries the building has seen some alterations (Source: Croatia Aymocha ↗). 

The Ghirardini Palace

The Ghirardini Palace, with its Gothic-Renaissance windows, dates from the 13th-15th century (Source: Registar Kulturna dobra ↗). 

Zadar’s City Hall

The southern edge of the square is closed by the City Hall, a mid-20th century building constructed after the previous palace was destroyed during World War II (Source: Croatia Aymocha ↗).

Church of St. Lawrence

Inside a café bar in the middle of Narodni Square, there is also a small church of St. Lawrence, one of the rare partially preserved churches that can be entered through a café bar. The church was restored and conserved in 1988 and today serves as an attractive exhibition space (Source: Journal.hr ↗). 

People’s Square: Zadar’s Timeless Meeting Point

Each of these structures carries its own century, its own history, and together they form a square that breathes the past while living fully in the present. That’s why, while drinking my coffee, I feel as though I’m part of a grand mosaic that has lasted for hundreds of years.

My favorite scene always happens beneath the clock tower. Someone is always meeting there, running late, or waiting. Two students are embracing, an old man nervously checks his pocket watch, and a boy waits for someone and stares at his phone. They all become part of this moving film that never stops unfolding.

Coffee at the People’s Square lasts longer than anywhere else. It doesn’t matter if you drink it in half an hour or two – time here stretches, as if the sun itself is pouring it across the old stone slabs of the square. People don’t hurry, and even when they do, they still sit down – because without coffee, as they say, nothing gets done.

When I leave, I always turn back. I look at the square, the white stone, the loggia, the tower. And I think to myself: I’ll be back, maybe even tomorrow. Because coffee at Narodni trg is not just a drink – it is a ritual of belonging. And every time I sit down, I feel I’m written into the quiet, collective book of the city that never stops being written.

Why You Should Visit People’s Square (Narodni trg) in Zadar

If your path ever brings you to Zadar, don’t miss People’s square. Sit down for a coffee, even just for fifteen minutes. Look around: at the stone, at the people’s faces, at the clock on the tower. You’ll become part of a story that has lasted for centuries.

Discover more about Zadar on https://www.zadar.hr/hr.