Drnià ¡ is a town in the à  ibenik-Knin County, Croatia. Located in the Dalmatian Hinterland, it is about halfway between à  ibenik and Knin.
The name Drnià ¡ was mentioned for the first time in a contract dated March 8, 1494. However, there are traces of an older Middle Ages' fortress built by Croatian aristocrat family Nelipiàat 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. Venetian Republic briefly conquered Drnià ¡ in 1664 during Cretan War. Ottomans recaptured in 1670. Finally it fell into Venetian hands in 1683 during Great Turkish War. Then, Drnià ¡ 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. The town subsequently became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
In October 1941, the Minister of Sport and Mountaineering of the NDH, Mià ¡ko ZebiÃÂ, named Andrija Sabaliàas the state povjerenik of the HPD "Risnjak", and designated as the chapter's advisory board: Tomo PelicariÃÂ, Stipe Skelin, Marko Jukica, Ivo JelaviÃÂ, fra Petar Berkoviàand Tomislav FraniÃÂ. The HPD "Risnjak" was renamed Hrvatsko planinarsko druà ¡tvo u Drnià ¡u in March 1942.
On September 16, 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence, Drnià ¡ was attacked by forces of the 9th Corpus of Yugoslav People's Army and militia of SAO Krajina led by general Ratko MladiÃÂ. 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, Drnià ¡ was restored to Croatian government control during the military action Operation Storm, and the Serbian population fled to Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Since records began in 1957, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was , on 10 August 2017. The coldest temperature was , on 12 January 1985.
The village of Otavice near Drnià ¡ is the place where the noted sculptor Ivan Meà ¡troviàspent 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 (1888âÂÂ1965) was born in Siveriànear Drnià ¡. The town has a memorial to Julijan Ramljak. 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:
The local chapter of the HPS, HPD "MoseÃÂ", was founded on 19 October 1938.