The thesis deals with the role of Zadar fortifications throughout history and with the issues such as when and how they were made, what was added to them or removed from them, why and when exactly they got their present appearance. For easy reference in the thesis the history of the Zadar fortifications has been divided into chapters which deal with past events, the fortifications, their role in a particular period of time and their present – day appearance. The thesis also deals with the role of fortifications today when their primary function has been changed and when they serve as a park, gardens, pleasure grounds, a road with a parking place and when various buildings and institutions such as museums, bars and a hotel have been built on them. In addition, the thesis gives description of beginnings and development of urban tourism, what a city which wants to develop urban tourism has to do and have and who urban tourists are. There is also a chapter about culture and its importance in urban tourism and the ways of promotion of cultural facilities of a city. Urban tourism in Croatia and Zadar has been briefly presented as well as the HERA project. The project is important as it evaluates the Zadar fortifications in tourism – a cultural tourist route of the city has been invented. A research which examines public opinion and attitudes towards fortifications and their role in tourism has been made. Zadar tourists, 200 of them, have been questioned through anonymous poll. The poll is also voluntary and it consists of open and closed questions. Most of answers have been processed by means of descriptive statistics and there are also graphs which show how many examinees have chosen particular answers. There have also been two open questions which have offered any type of the answer. When examinees have been asked if they think that the Zadar fortifications are essential for the development of urban tourism and if this would contribute to a longer tourist stay and higher consumption of money and why this is so, the examinees have had divided opinions. A great part of them has answered that the inclusion of the Zadar fortifications is not essential for the development of urban tourism as there are other attractions which are more important for tourists to visit. They think people would not stay longer at a destination and spend more money there, as there is a trend in which travellers tend to visit more destinations within a trip and in this way they reduce the length of stay at the destination. When asked if they would like to visit the Zadar fortifications off – season, the examinees have also been divided. A great part of them has answered that they would not have motivation to come and see only fortifications off – season, but they would like to visit the city itself off – season when it is less crowded and when the weather conditions are more pleasant as in spring or autumn. In the thesis there are four affirmative hypotheses. All four have been accepted.There is a statistically significant difference between attitudes of the examinees according to their age, education, motives of arrival and a number of visits to the city of Zadar. It can be concluded that Zadar fortifications are important part of cultural heritage, interesting and different from other fortification systems in other cities due to their integration in modern urban parts of Zadar. However, people who create the tourist offer of the city should promote and present fortifications well to particular segments of a tourist demand – to those tourists who are interested in cultural facilities and urban tourism. Furthermore, by implementation of innovative ideas it is necessary to make tourists get an authentic experience of their visit to the fortifications. It is important that they can remember exactly these fortifications and this destination in a diverse tourist offer and that they can share their positive experience with other people which is, for sure, the best marketing. Of course, this is possible only if all participants making a tourist offer work together and exchange their knowledge so the tourism would be developed in a way that both tourists and hosts would be satisfied with enacted decisions.