Šibenik Bridge

Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatian self-governing cities on the Adriatic, the capital and cultural, educational, administrative and economic center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the third-largest town in the Dalmatian region. As of 2021, the town has 31,115 inhabitants, while the municipality has 42,599 inhabitants.The seat is the Šibenik Diocese.

It was first mentioned on Christmas 1066 in a grant of Peter Krešimir IV, so it is also called ''Krešimir's Town''. Until the plague pandemic in 17th century it was the largest city on the entire eastern coast of the Adriatic. Šibenik was the ''de facto'' capital of the Croatia from December 1944 to May 1945. It is also significant as the place of foundation of the Croatian Navy.

The Cathedral of St. James is the most significant architectural achievement of the 15th and 16th centuries on the soil of Croatia. Due to its exceptional values, it was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 2000, which was joined on that list by the Fortress of St. Nicholas.

History

Etymology

There are multiple interpretations of how Šibenik was named. In his fifteenth-century book ''De situ Illiriae et civitate Sibenici,'' Giorgio Sisgoreo describes the name and location of Šibenik. He attributes the name of the city to it being surrounded by a palisade made of ''šibe'' 'switches/twigs'. Some argue the name is of Illyrian origin, or derived from the family name of the Šubićs. Another interpretation is associated with the forest through the Latin toponym ''Sibinicum'', which covered a narrower microregion within Šibenik on and around the area of St. Michael's Fortress.

Early history

Unlike other cities along the Adriatic coast, which were established by Greeks, Illyrians and Romans, Šibenik was founded by Slavs.Foster, Jane (2004)
''Footprint Croatia''
, Footprint Handbooks, 2nd ed. p. 218. It was mentioned for the first time under its present name in 1066 in a Charter of the Croatian King Petar Krešimir IV and, for a period of time, it was a seat of this Croatian King. For that reason, Šibenik is also called "Krešimirov grad" (Krešimir's city).

Between the 11th and 12th centuries, Šibenik was tossed back and forth among Venice, Byzantium, and Hungary. It was conquered by the Republic of Venice in 1116,Oliver, Jeanne (2007)
''Croatia''
. Lonely Planet 4th ed. p. 182. who held it until 1124, when they briefly lost it to the Byzantine Empire, and then held it again until 1133 when it was retaken by the Kingdom of Hungary. It would change hands among the aforementioned states several more times until 1180.

The city was given the status of a town in 1167 from Stephen III of Hungary. It received its own diocese in 1298.

Under Venice and the Habsburgs

The city, like the rest of Dalmatia, initially resisted the Venetian Republic, but it was taken over after a three-year war in 1412. Under Venetian rule, Šibenik became in 1412 the seat of the main customs office and the seat of the salt consumers office with a monopoly on the salt trade in Chioggia and on the whole Adriatic Sea.

In August 1417, Venetian authorities were concerned with the "Morlachs and other Slavs" from the hinterland, that were a threat to security in Šibenik. The Ottoman Empire started to threaten Šibenik (known as ''Sebenico''), as part of their struggle against Venice, at the end of the 15th century, but they never succeeded in conquering it. In the 16th century, St. Nicholas Fortress was built and, by the 17th century, its fortifications were improved again by the fortresses of St. John (Tanaja) and Šubićevac (Barone).

The Morlachs started settling Šibenik during the Cretan War (1645–69).

The fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797 brought ''Sebenico'' under the authority of the Habsburg monarchy.

Annexed by the French Empire and included in its Illyrian Provinces during the Napoleonic Wars, the town became (again) part of the Austrian monarchy after the Congress of Vienna. The compromise of 1867 brought it in the Austrian side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1918. During this Austrian period, it was the capital of the district of the same name, one of the 13 in the Kingdom of Dalmatia. The Italian name ''Sebenico'' only was used until around 1871.

In 1872, at the time in the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Ante Šupuk became the town's first Croat mayor elected under universal suffrage. He was instrumental in the process of the modernization of the city, and is particularly remembered for the 1895 project to provide street lights powered by the early AC Jaruga Hydroelectric Power Plant. On 28 August 1895, Šibenik became the world's first city with alternating current-powered street lights.

20th century

During World War I, the Austro-Hungarian navy used the port facilities of Šibenik, and the light cruisers and destroyers which escaped the Allied force after the battle of Cape Rodoni (or Gargano) returned to safety in the city, where some battleships were based. After the war Šibenik was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy until 12 June 1921 within the framework of the occupation of the eastern Adriatic. As a result of the Treaty of Rapallo, the Italians gave up their claim to the city and it became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. After World War I, the exodus of the Dalmatian Italians from the city began. During World War II, Šibenik was annexed by Italy and was part of the Italian Governorate of Dalmatia from 1941 to 1943 being part of the province of Zara. Communist partisans liberated Šibenik on 3 November 1944.

After World War II it became a part of the SFR Yugoslavia until Croatia declared independence in 1991.

During the Croatian War of Independence (1991–95), Šibenik was heavily attacked by the Yugoslav People's Army and Serbian paramilitary troops. Although under-armed, the nascent Croatian army and the people of Šibenik managed to defend the city. The battle lasted for six days (16–22 September), often referred to as the " September battle". The bombings damaged numerous buildings and monuments, including the dome of the Šibenik Cathedral of St James and the 1870-built theatre building.

In an August 1995 military operation, the Croatian Army defeated the Serb forces and reconquered the occupied areas, which allowed the region to recover from the war and continue to develop as the centre of Šibenik-Knin county. Since then, the damaged areas of the city have been fully restored.

Climate

Šibenik has a mediterranean climate (''Csa''), with mild, humid winters and hot, dry summers. January and February are the coldest months, July and August are the hottest months. In July the average maximum temperature is around . The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Csa" (Mediterranean Climate).

Since records began in 1949, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station at an elevation of was , on 10 August 2017. The coldest temperature was , on 10 February 1956.

Main sights

The central church in Šibenik, the Šibenik Cathedral of St James, is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Several successive architects built it completely in stone between 1431 and 1536, both in Gothic and in Renaissance style. The interlocking stone slabs of the cathedral's roof were damaged when the city was shelled by Yugoslav forces in 1991. The damage has since been repaired.

Fortifications in Šibenik

In the city of Šibenik there are four fortresses, each of which has views of the city, sea and nearby islands. The fortresses are now tourist sightseeing destinations.

* St. Nicholas Fortress () is a fortress located on the island of ''Ljuljevac'', at the entrance to the St. Anthony Channel, across from the Jadrija beach lighthouse. It is included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site list as part of Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: ''Stato da Terra'' – western ''Stato da Mar'' in 2017.
* St. Michael's Fortress in historic town centre
* St. John Fortress
* Barone Fortress

Natural heritage

* Roughly north of the city is the Krka National Park, similar to the Plitvice Lakes National Park, known for its many waterfalls, flora, fauna, and historical and archaeological remains.
* The Kornati archipelago, west of Šibenik, consists of 150 islands in a sea area of about , making it the densest archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea.

Culture

The composer Jakov Gotovac founded the city's "Philharmonia Society" in 1922. The 19th-century composer Franz von Suppé was part of the city's cultural fabric, as he was a native of nearby Split.

Each summer, a number of concerts and events take place in the city, many of them in the St. Michael Fortress. Also, starting in 2016 on a nearby island of Obonjan ( southwest of the city), an annual music, art, health and workshop festival is being held.

The annual Šibenik International Children's Festival (''Međunarodni Dječji Festival'') takes place every summer and hosts children's workshops, plays and other activities.
From 2011 to 2013 the Terraneo festival (music festival) was held in August on a yearly basis on a former military area in Šibenik, and since 2014 Šibenik (and other nearby towns) are the home of its spiritual successor Super Uho festival. Šibenik hosts the Dalmatian Chanson Evenings festival (''Večeri Dalmatinske Šansone''), held in the second half of August.

Sports

As famous sports town, Šibenik is the hometown of many successful athletes: Aleksandar Petrović, Dražen Petrović, Perica Bukić, Ivica Žurić, Predrag Šarić, Dario Šarić, Vanda Baranović-Urukalo, Danira Nakić, Nik Slavica, Miro Bilan, Dražan Jerković, Petar Nadoveza, Krasnodar Rora, Dean Računica, Mladen Pralija, Ante Rukavina, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Mile Nakić, Franko Nakić, Siniša Belamarić, Renato Vrbičić, Ivica Tucak, Andrija Komadina, Miro Jurić, Antonio Petković

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