The Square is located on a site between the medieval City Walls and the Renaissance bastion Grimani, where the oldest park in Croatia is located. The Square features exactly what its name suggests – five wells lined up in a row.
The Square is located on a site between the medieval City Walls with a cornice and the Renaissance bastion Grimani, where the oldest park in Croatia is located that’s named after Queen Jelena Madije. The Square features exactly what its name suggests – five wells lined up in a row. In the Middle Ages there was a defensive ditch below the old city walls. During the 16th century, the Venetians helped the city withstand Turkish sieges by building a large water cistern with five ornamental wellheads, giving the square its name.
The pentagonal Captain´s tower leaning against the City Walls with the cornice is the only one left from ten similar towers located on the margins of the medieval city. The Captain´s Tower is named after the nearby residence of the city captain and it was built by the Venetians to strengthen the city against Turkish attacks. Today, the Tower houses the exhibition premises and a belvedere providing a beautiful view over the city.
The park named after Queen Jelena Madije, built on top of the Grimaldi bastion is not only the city´s oldest park. Founded by Austrian commander Baron Franz Ludwig von Welden in 1829, a passionate botanist and admirer of Dalmatian flora, it was the first public park in Croatia. To create a garden on top of a military object was an unusual move, but one Zadar is eternally grateful for.
While the wells are no longer in use, the Square has become a popular place for concerts and events, but it is also one of the best places to start long romantic walks in Zadar.
