If you are planning to visit Šibenik, you won’t be disappointed. Especially if you love Mediterranean cities and visiting places that are rich in history. Šibenik is definitely one of those places.
You may want to know that Šibenik was featured in three episodes of the Game of Thrones series. The St James Cathedral is the setting of the Iron Bank in the City of Davros.
Šibenik is the first city discovered by native Croats
Šibenik is a historic city in Croatia, located in the south-central region of Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Unlike other cities on the coast of the Adriatic that have been founded by Romans or Greeks, Šibenik was founded by native Croats, and it is the first city in that region that was formed by natives, in 1066.
The name Šibenik was first mentioned in the Charter of the Croatian King Krešimir the IV, which is why Šibenik is called Krešimira city. King Krešimir ruled Šibenik for quite some time, and, for that reason, you can find a statue dedicated to him in the city center, as well as a lot of coffee shops, restaurants, and buildings named after him.
Šibenik is the only city in Croatia with two UNESCO world heritage monuments
If you are a fan of the UNESCO world heritage site, you will be happy to discover that Šibenik is the only city in Croatia with two Unesco world heritage monuments. St James Cathedral and St Nicolas fortress, located in the middle of the sea, were used for city defense from Turks back in the day.
Šibenik has four fortresses in the city, and they were all used to defend the city from Turks during the Ottoman Empire era. If you are in town, you can visit Barone fortress or St. Michael fortress. You can learn a lot about the history of Barone or you can even go and enjoy some open-air concerts at St. Michael fortress.
Šibenik is a guest to International Children’s Festival
Every year, starting from mid-June until mid-July, Šibenik becomes a guest of the International Children’s Festival. Guests all over the globe come to Šibenik to enjoy the festival. There is music, theater, magicians, concerts, exhibits and so much more. Šibenik becomes a cultural center of the Mediterranean for those few weeks.
If you are planning to visit around this time, you will have a lot of fun. Even if you are not traveling with children, you will find so many fun things to do. You have an open-air cinema with the latest hits, concerts, stand-up shows, exhibits and so much more. You don’t have to be a child to enjoy the Children’s Festival.
Šibenik is the only city in Croatia that has a medieval garden
Even though medieval gardens are rare to find, Šibenik is the only city in Croatia that has one. The Medieval Garden of St. Lawrence Monastery is located in the Old town. The garden was abandoned for over 100 years, but it was revived in 2007, maintaining its original medieval theme with a water fountain in the middle of the garden.
In this garden, you will find all the traditional herbs and flowers that were used as medicine in the medieval era. The garden is kept by monks that still live in St Lawrence monastery and it is one of a kind. You can go back to the medieval era while enjoying the warm weather, sun, and cup of coffee.
Šibenik hosts the Medieval Festival
If you enjoy traveling during September to avoid huge crowds, Šibenik is the place to be. Every September, Šibenik is host to the Medieval Festival. It’s an event that celebrates the history of šibenik and when the whole city returns to the medieval era.
Every day at noon, the city guard, dressed in medieval uniforms, shoots a cannonball into the sea to mark the battle that occurred during the Ottoman Empire.
The whole city is full of people dressed in medieval clothes. Guests all over Croatia and the world come to Šibnik to present their culture and products from the medieval era. You can buy products made from old recipes, ride a horse, shoot a bow and arrow, sit and have a drink from medieval cups in tents, and much more.
It is a blast from the past in the truest sense. You will feel like you traveled back in time where you can even ride a carriage and learn much about the history while experiencing it at the same time.
You can visit museums guarded by medieval guards and even buy a sword, shield, honey, or bread made from an original medieval recipe. No wonder Game of Thrones was filmed here.
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Great tips, thanks for sharing!