| Drniš | |
| Official Name: | Grad Drniš Town of Drniš |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | Croatia |
| Coordinates: | 43.8625°N 16.1556°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Croatia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Historical region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Dalmatia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Leader Party: | HDZ |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Josip Begonja |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 351.7 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 21.3 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 6276 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 2752 |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
| Blank Info: | Cfa |
Drniš (Italian: Dernis) is a town in the Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. Located in the Dalmatian Hinterland, it is about halfway between Šibenik and Knin.
The name Drniš was mentioned for the first time in a contract dated March 8, 1494. However, there are traces of older Middle Ages' fortress built by Croatian aristocrat family Nelipić at the site called Gradina dominating the landscape. The town was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1522 due to its strategic location. Many buildings from this time period are still preserved today. During the Baroque period, the mosque built by the Turks was transformed into a church. During Ottoman rule, it was nahiya seat of Petrovo Polje; which initially bounded to Croatian vilayet of Sanjak of Bosnia between 1522 and 1537, laterly to Sanjak of Kilis between 1537 and 1664 and again between 1670 and 1683.[2] Venetian Republic briefly conquered Drniš in 1664 during Cretan War. Ottomans recaptured in 1670. Finally it fell into Venetian hands in 1683 during Great Turkish War. Then, Drniš shared fate of Venetian Dalmatia till 1918. In 1918 the town was occupied by Italian troops who remained there until a withdrawal in 1921, as a result of the Treaty of Rapallo.[3] The town subsequently became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
On September 16, 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence, Drniš was attacked by forces of the 9th Corpus of Yugoslav People's Army and militia of SAO Krajina led by general Ratko Mladić. The Croatian population fled under mortar fire, and town was incorporated in Republic of Serbian Krajina. The town and surrounding Croatian villages suffered extensive demolition and looting in that period. In August 1995, Drniš was restored to Croatian government control during the military action Operation Storm, and the Serbian population fled to Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| Population of Drniš municipality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year of census | Croats | Serbs | Yugoslavs | Others or unknown | Total | |
| 1991 | 18,732 (77.50%) | 4,974 (19.34%) | 76 (0.32%) | 387 (1.60%) | 24,169 | |
| 2001 | 7,835 (91.16%) | 656 (7.63%) | - | 104 (1.21%) | 8,595 | |
The village of Otavice near Drniš is the place where the noted sculptor Ivan Meštrović spent his childhood. A museum has been built which has an exhibition of the archeological rests from the neolithic and Roman eras, along with Croatian history. The composer Krsto Odak (1888–1965) was born in Siverić near Drniš. The town has a memorial to Julijan Ramljak.[4] The area is also known for its agricultural orientation and a once notable mining center.
In the 2021 census, the population was distributed in the following settlements: