Unfinished House Drnis

About Drniš

Drnis is situated on the edge of the Petrovo field, at the beginning of the narrow canyon of the Cikola. It has a great social importance (fairs, trading routes for Bosnia) as the centre of a broad rural area. Its broader surroundings, the Krka -river - Roski Waterfall and Visovac, attract a number of visitors, nature-lovers and numerous pilgrims to Our Lady of Visovac. Drnis is famous for quality wines and exquisite Drnis-style prosciutto. The Drnis fair is still a tourist attraction (held on the 5th of each month, from April to November). Due to the recent war operations, hunting grounds are still not accessible. An attractive excursion is a tour to the peaks of Promina Mountain (railway station Drnis - mountain lodge - Cavnovka, 2 hrs 30 min). DRNIS, a town in the region of Dalmatinska Zagora (Dalmatian Hinterland), in the western part of the Petrovo field, between the mountain ranges Promina and Mosec (Drnis Gate), near the Cikola river, 32 km northeast of Sibenik; elevation 304 m. Economy is based on farming, viticulture and building industry. Drnis is located at the intersection of the main roads Knin - Sibenik and Benkovac - Muc - Split, as well as on the railroad Zagreb - Knin - Split. The town was first mentioned in 1494 (sub Darnis), which proves that a town (fortification) and a suburban settlement (Varos) existed already in the Middle Ages. During the Turkish rule a number of structures were erected, shown in Coronelli's drawing (a polygonal fortification, a large mosque). The Venetian general Foscolo destroyed a considerable part of the town in 1648. Some parts of the fortification, the minaret, next to which is the church of St. Roch (Rocco), have been preserved, while the large mosque was converted into the church of St. Anthony in Baroque style. Public places house several sculptures by Ivan Mestrovic (The Source of Life, Ploughman, Childbearing Mother), who was buried in the nearby mausoleum in Otavice. The Drnis Native Museum keeps also several casts by Mestrovic.