Sibenik
Amongst many beautiful cities on the Croatian Adriatic, Sibenik stands out, by its unique location in a picturesque bay, at the mouth of the karst Krka river. Mentioned for the first time in 1066, Sibenik was built at first as an ancient Croatia casstrum, a fortified encampment, under the fortress of St. Michael. Sibenik is the oldest native Croatian town in the Adriatic. Hidden from the open sea by a long and sheer strait of St. Anthony, its harbour offers safety and is a drive of all developments, trading and overall economic prosperity of the city for centuries. One of the biggest attractions of the city is a spectacular fortress of St. Nicholas, watcher and defender of the St. Anthony strait. Impressive, not only in size, it is the most important renaissance fortress on the eastern coast of the Adriatic. The role it played in defending the city over history, even in the recent past, made it one of the national symbols. In the old city, St. James’ Cathedral, being built for over a century by several successive architects, is testimony to the persistency, sacrifice and belief of generations of Sibenik citizens. Uniquely built, even in terms of European architecture, it presents both gothic and renaissance styles, and is constructed entirely out of stone, with no use of binding materials! Builing was completely finished in 1536. Cathedral is now protected as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Cathedral, nearby renaissance city hall, churches and Prince’s Palace make Sibenik square one of the most beautiful squares in the whole country.
In August, the annual Šibenik International Children's Festival takes place, hosting many attenders and even more visitors.
Sailors will find the Sibenik cruiser regatta very appealing. It has been held 13 times in a row in December on behalf of the St. Nicholas, with over 50 cruisers and 500 guests from Croatia and abroad taking place. Regatta is held in the Sibenik bay and can be seen from the harbour or one of Sibenik's fortresses. During the regatta, Yacht Fair is being held, further increasing the relevance of the event.
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