In addition to its natural beauty, Kornati also offers many cultural and historical attractions.
On the island of Kornat, there is the Tureta Fortress, which dates back to the Byzantine period and is considered to be one of the largest fortifications ever built in the area. It is thought to have served as a protection against the rough sailing of the Adriatic. Although almost completely demolished, it is still probably the most striking feature of the Kornati archipelago.
Under the fortress on the island of Kornat stands the church of Our Lady of Tarac, where every year, on the first Sunday in July, a mass is held to bless the Kornati fields and the sea, attended by hundreds of sailing boats. On the islands of Lavsa and Šipnata, there are overflowing salt pans, which were used in Roman times to preserve the fish caught. Their location underwater is an indication of the rise in water levels from Roman times to the present day, but these are not the only external structures from that time that now rest under the sea.
The best-preserved underwater ruins are the vivariums around Svršata and Mala Provera, but there are also piers at Trstikovac, Statival and Sedlasti boku, and the as yet unexplored ruins at Piškera.