Mandići Hamlet and the Fortica Tower, Babac Island

On the northern shore of the islet of Babac in the Pašman Channel, between the island of Pašman and the village of Turanj, lies the hamlet of Mandići with a tower called Fortica. It belongs to the municipality of Sveti Filip i Jakov in Zadar County, and it appeals to anyone who loves fortified country residences and authentic Dalmatian architectural heritage.

The hamlet grew out of the fortified summer residence of the de Soppe family, which already at the end of the 15th century had a farming and residential complex on the island. The southwestern part of the building is best preserved, where the tower rises up to the cornice and a somewhat lower rampart stands. The entrance with the family coat of arms built into it, from the 14th or 15th century, has also survived. Over time the summer residence turned into a settlement with the features of vernacular Dalmatian architecture. The ensemble has the shape of an elongated quadrangle, roughly 60x30 metres, and developed from the 15th to the 20th century.

The hamlet and tower are a protected cultural property, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-4097.

Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: DGU (centre of the settlement).