Marcel Burger - Third time's the charm

The old town of Šibenik, topped by St. Michael's Fortress (Tvrđava sv. Mihovila)

Tucked away behind "barrier" peninsulas and island lies the town of Šibenik. Fought over by the Venetians, the Hungarians, the Ottomans, the Italians and others, Šibenik is now an absolute wonderful stop on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. Stroll through the cute historic centre, climb the hills of three fortresses, take a swim at the city beach or jump in at a former Yugoslavian Army base. Here the river Krka, coming from the famous Krka National Park nearby, flows into the Adriatic sea. Šibenik has something exciting for everyone, it seems.

I visited Šibenik in the summers of 2023 and 2024.

The old town

The innercity richly coloured with drawings during the 2023 Children's Festival in June.

The Renaissance Cathedral of St. James (Katedrala sv. Jakova), built between 1431 and 1536.

The historic fortresses of Šibenik

The old town and its adjacent hills feature three impressive fortresses: St. Michael's (Mihovila, pictured above) in the centre, the petite Barone a little bit out and the bigger St. John's (Ivana) a bit further up. In the 1600s, Šibenik was under imminent threat of the Ottoman empire and the citizens themselves took it upon them to build the fortifications such as St. John's fortress. The rulers of the town, the Republic of Venice, did not give the town any funds, but seemed also fine with the defence works. Manned by 7,000 defending citizens, Šibenik managed to beat 25,000 Ottoman soldiers. Especially St. John's Fortress played a key-role in its defence and, together with the other fortifications, was step-by-step further enforced in the centuries that followed. Nowadays, especially St. John's is a great spot to watch the sunset and imagine how life once was in times of the historic wars.

St. Nicholas' Fortress

Further out, at the entrance to the St. Anthony's Canal, lies another unique fortress. Unlike many of the fortifications of its time, St. Nicholas' (Tvrđava sv. Nikole) has a triangle shape and was once the perfect guard for anyone attempting to approach Šibenik from the sea. Built in the 16th century as part of the Venetian defence works, it originally sported 32 cannons. The UNESCO World Heritage listed stronghold remained part of a military base all the way to 1979. It can only be visited by organized boat trip from the centre of town, but for those who are happy enough to see it from the outside, a footpath and picturesque jetty leads to its southern wall.

St. Nicholas's fortress at the end of the footpath leading to eat. Just behind the point where this photo was taken, the ruins of more modern bunkers of the 1900s are silent witnesses of the military importance this area once had.

The footpath leading to the small island and St. Nicholas' fortress, for those who do not wish to go inside the stronghold's walls.

Alongside the St. Anthony Canal

St. Anthony Canal (Kanal svetog Ante) leads from the Adriatic Sea, past the St. Nicholas' fortress to Šibenik Bay and the old town. It is more than 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) long and wide enough to have normal boats and ships passing each other.

Seen from the sea, the beginning of the bay was once the domain of the Yugoslavian Navy, its former base now left to decay. But the municipality has made this piece of land attractive with a beach, a lighted footpath, a hilltop view and easy access to one of the coolest spots on the short hiking trail: a former torpedo boat rock tunnel started by the Nazi-Germans which would fit perfectly in a James Bond film.

View at the town Šibenik from the hilltop view point on the St. Anthony Canal hiking trail.

About half a circle in size, the Nazi-German Navy built the rock-carved tunnel for its torpedo boats. After World War 2, the Yugoslavian army used the tunnel for decades. These days, one can walk or paddle through the entire tunnel. For boats it is closed, but a pier nearby gives access to whoever wants to go on foot. The St. Anthony Canal hiking trail splits just before the tunnel, and has a convenient set of steps leading to its northern entrance. Just before reaching it, there is even an abandoned rock-carved church to be seen.

The St. Anthony Canal hiking path. It has small rocky beaches for those who'd like some remoteness.

Remnant of the former Yugoslavian Navy base. Just behind this crane, the organized and perfectly safe beach and swim spot can be seen.

A final sunset over Šibenik, seen from St. John's Fortress near the old town.