Explore and experience
Natural attractions
This site consists of the St Anthony Channel and Šibenik Bay, in which lies the city of Šibenik. The channel is about 2500 metres long, 140 – 220 metres wide, 42 metres deep. Within the landscape there are two rocks and two islets – Školjić and Ljuljevac. The site features mostly karst terrain. The whole area took on its final shape 10.000 years ago when the lower part of the Krka River valley was submerged. The most valuable part of this area is a beautiful Aleppo pine forest, which adorns the channel coastline, along with rocky coast that creates a special atmosphere for all those who visit Šibenik by boat. The Krka delta is a habitat for 56 shellfish species, the best known of which are mussels. Due to the mixing of salt and fresh water, the channel abounds with fish.
Curiosities
Amidst the channel, on its left side, there are two big openings leading to a 200-metre-long sea tunnel. The tunnel was dug in the 1950s to hide and protect warships from air raids. Since the openings look ominous in the harsh rocks, they were called Hitler’s eyes by residents of Šibenik.
In 2017. St Nicholas’ Fortress was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the six selected fortification systems from Croatia, Italy and Montenegro, as a part of the nomination ”Venetian Works of Defence between 16th and 17th Centuries”.
Šibenik became the first Croatian city with two monuments of culture on the UNESCO list.
Particular value of St Nicholas’ Fortress lies in its original form and some rare Renaissance architectural solutions.