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Visit Sibenik and its Fortresses

As a part of our daily Krka tour from Omis, we take you on a sightseeing of historic city of Šibenik.

Sibenik, founded by Croats around the 9th century, is a city of glorious past, kings, cultural and historical monuments. Did you know that the first place in Croatia and one of the first places in the world to transmit electricity through wires was Sibenik more than 120 years ago?

Šibenik is nearly entirely built of stone- the stairs, arches, cobbled streets, buildings, and more are made of stone, and the city itself is built on the rocky coast protected by stone walls.

When you visit Šibenik you’ll find that it’s not just any other city. It’s a welcoming historical center that speaks proudly to Croatian heritage and culture in a way that will leave you eager to return.

Sibenik has two fortresses: the St. Michael’s Fortress and the St. Nicholas Fortress. The second one is a bit further away from the old city. The St. Michael’s Fortress is situated in the middle of the old city and therefor gives you the most beautiful view of the city, the sea and National Park Kornati, that lays exactly in front of the coast of Sibenik.

Which ever street you take, you will end up on Fortress and you’ll definitely enjoy the little streets you get to see when walking up there.

St James Cathedral, SibenikThe imposing Cathedral of St. James lies just underneath the fortress walls of the town in the old area of Sibenik. This cathedral was built of lime stone and marble from the stone mason’s Island of Brac in Croatia. The Cathedral  was constructed between 1431 and 1536 and it became a testimony to the building skills of Sibenik’s architects, a monumental structure of such cultural and historical significance that it has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Cathedral of St. James is unique in the world as it is the only monument of this type that is constructed completely out of stone. The cathedral is characterized by a perfect geometric perspective, at time of its construction the first time that had ever been done in European architecture. Also, the big deal in that time was that never since than ‘ordinary’ people’s faces could be recognized- the building was uniquely decorated along the sides with 71 human faces and 3 lion heads representing the people who lived in the city in time when the church was built. All architectural landmarks of Sibenik are connected with one another via ancient cobbled streets and countless stairways. The whole town consists of only stone buildings and squares, was built on a steep rocky coast and protected by stone walls- stone is simply everywhere in this city.

The atmosphere in Sibenik is youthful and lively, little streets lead to attractive squares where modern shop windows unite really nice with the fine and stylish architecture of the vanished centuries.

A vivid insight into the local people’s lives can be found on a gorgeous Farmer’s market in Sibenik where every morning, people gather at the market, selling their best fruits and vegetables. Having fresh food right next to you is always amazing experience- fresh bread, homemade sausages, picked-the-same-day beans, peaches, cherries… nothing at the standard grocery store could compare with that.

With 24 churches and six monasteries, not many other cities can sing this bell chorus like Šibenik. The bells ring every half hour- it’s as though the city is telling you its stories.

Spending time in Sibenik will simply make you feel just like in some other time and space and make your memories become more richly!