Lepuri Tower
On a dominant site above the road Benkovac – Ostrovica to the east there is a tower near Lepuri.
It is a cylindrical defence tower that hasn’t been preserved completely. It was built by laying stone-cut blocks of different sizes into lines.
The tower is preserved only by its layout diametrically 9,30 m, and the wall thickness is around 1,60 m. The highest preserved wall is 11,47 m high, a little above the tower’s second floor.
According to the visible remains, one can conclude that this tower, as the one in Budak, controlled the important road and was of the same height. The highest wall was preserved at a height of 11.47 meters, just above the second floor of the tower.
The ground floor of the tower was closed, without any windows or doors. The entrance was probably on the first floor and most likely accessible from the outside by the transportable wooden ladder.
Location
Benkovac
The first traces of human life in the Benkovac area were found around the village of Smilčić that belonged to the Danilo culture. Before Roman conquest the area was inhabited by the Illyrian tribe of Liburnians. During the Roman Civil war the Liburnians sided with Caesar. The Romans mention the following Liburnian settlements: Nedinum (Nadin), Carinium (Karin), Varvaria (Bribir) and Asseria (Podgrađe). In 7th century the area was settled by Croats. The area of Benkovac was at the crossroads of four Croatian župas – Novljanska, Sidraška, Bribirska and Karinska. Near the village of Šopot, an inscription from the 9th century was found that mentions Branimir as a Croatian Duke.
Explore
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.