Vrana

A small village with a great history gave the name to the largest Croatian freshwater lake, which is only a kilometer away - Vrana Lake. The village of Vrana is particularly interesting for history lovers, as the remains of the Church of Sts. Catherine and in the 11th century Benedictine monastery. This monastery was soon rebuilt into a castle owned by the Templars from 1135 until their demise in 1312, when the Knight's Order of St. John was acquired and in 1647 it was conquered by the Venetians who let it desolate. Only parts of the walls and watchtowers have survived from the Templar castle at that time. The Vrana is home to the westernmost landmark of Islamic architecture, which was built here by a local native Turkish Vizier Yusuf Maskovich. Originally a Turkish coaching inn, now known as Maskovica han, or "caravanseraj", it dates back to the mid-17th century and is a unique example of Turkish architecture throughout Dalmatia, and remains of a Roman water supply system, with water flowing to Zadar.

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