Šibenik () is a historic city in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, located in central

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

, where the river Krka flows into the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of

Šibenik-Knin County Šibenik-Knin County (; hr, Šibensko-kninska županija ) is a county in southern Croatia, located in the north-central part of Dalmatia. The biggest city in the county is Šibenik, which also serves as county seat. Other notable towns in the co ...

, and is also the third-largest city in the Dalmatian region. As of 2011, the city has 34,302 inhabitants, while the municipality has 46,332 inhabitants.

History

Etymology

There are multiple interpretations of how Šibenik was named. In his fifteenth century book ''De situ Illiriae et civitate Sibenici,''

Juraj Šižgorić Giorgio Sisgoreo ( hr, Juraj Šižgorić, la, Georgius Sisgoreus or ''Sisgoritus''; ca. 1445–1509) was a Latinist poet from Venetian Dalmatia. He was the first humanist from Šibenik and the central personality of Šibenik's humanist circle a ...

describes the name and location of Šibenik. He attributes the name of the city to it being surrounded by a palisade made of ''šibe'' (sticks, singular being ''šiba''). Another interpretation is associated with the forest through the Latin

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

"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

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...

.Foster, Jane (2004)
''Footprint Croatia''
Footprint Handbooks, 2nd ed. p. 218. Excavations of the castle of St. Michael, have since proven that the place was inhabited long before the actual arrival of the Croats. It was mentioned for the first time under its present name in 1066 in a Charter of the Croatian King

Petar Krešimir IV Petar ( sr, Петар, bg, Петър) is a South Slavic masculine given name, their variant of the Biblical name Petros cognate to Peter. Derivative forms include Pero, Pejo, Pera, Perica, Petrica, Periša. Feminine equivalent is Petra. ...

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 Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Byzantium, and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. It was conquered by the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

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 The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

. 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 Stephen III ( hu, István, hr, Stjepan, sk, Štefan; summer of 11474 March 1172) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1162 and 1172. He was crowned king in early June 1162, shortly after the death of his father, Géza II. However, his two un ...

. It received its own

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

in 1298.

Under Venice and the Habsburgs

The city, like the rest of

, initially resisted the

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

, 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 Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

office and the seat of the salt consumers office with a

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...

on the salt trade in

Chioggia Chioggia (; vec, Cióxa , locally ; la, Clodia) is a coastal town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Geography The town is situated on a small island at the southern entrance to the L ...

and on the whole

. In August 1417, Venetian authorities were concerned with the "

Morlachs Morlachs ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Morlaci, Морлаци or , ; it, Morlacchi; ro, Morlaci) has been an exonym used for a rural Christian community in Herzegovina, Lika and the Dalmatian Hinterland. The term was initially used for a bilingual Vlach p ...

and other Slavs" from the hinterland, that were a threat to security in Šibenik. The

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

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). +Sebenico by Martin Rota

The

started settling Šibenik during the

Cretan War (1645–69) Cretan War may refer to multiple wars involving the island of Crete, including: * Cretan War (205–200 BC), a war between King Philip V of Macedon and Rhodes * Cretan War (1645–69), a war between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire Se ...

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

Habsburg Monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

. After the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

until 1918, the town was (again) part of the

Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

(Austria side after the

compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...

), head of the district of the same name, one of the 13 '' Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in

Kingdom of Dalmatia The Kingdom of Dalmatia ( hr, Kraljevina Dalmacija; german: Königreich Dalmatien; it, Regno di Dalmazia) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entire ...

. The Italian name only was used until around 1871. In 1872, at the time in the

, 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 A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution ...

Jaruga Hydroelectric Power Plant Jaruga Hydroelectric Power Plant is a hydroelectric power plant on river Krka, located in Šibenik-Knin County, in central Dalmatia, Croatia. The first European hydroelectric power plant was built in Croatia (many people worked together to make ...

. On 28 August 1895, Šibenik became the world's first city with

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...

-powered street lights.

20th century

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the Austro-Hungarian navy used the port facilities here, and the light cruisers and destroyers which escaped the Allied force after the battle of Cape Rodoni (or Gargano) returned to safety here, where some battleships were based. After the war Šibenik was occupied by the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

until 12 June 1921. As a result of the

Treaty of Rapallo Following World War I there were two Treaties of Rapallo, both named after Rapallo, a resort on the Ligurian coast of Italy: * Treaty of Rapallo, 1920, an agreement between Italy and the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (the later Yugoslav ...

, the Italians gave up their claim to the city and it became a part of the

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

. During World War II it was occupied by

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and Germany. Communist partisans liberated Šibenik on 3 November 1944. Sibenik, borgo di terra

After World War II it became a part of the

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

until Croatia declared independence in 1991. During the Croatian War of Independence (1991–95), Šibenik was heavily attacked by the

Yugoslav National Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...

and Serbian paramilitary troops. Although under-armed, the nascent

Croatian army The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF). Role and deployment The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...

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 The Cathedral of St. James ( hr, Katedrala sv. Jakova) in Šibenik, Croatia is a triple-nave Catholic basilica with three apses and a dome (32 m high inside). It is the episcopal seat of the Šibenik diocese. It is also the most important architect ...

of St James and the 1870-built theatre building. In an August 1995

military operation A military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operations may ...

, 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 A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(''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 The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is "

Csa CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

" (Mediterranean Climate).

Main sights

The central church in Šibenik, the

of St James, is on the

UNESCO World Heritage list A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. Several successive architects built it completely in stone between 1431 and 1536, both in

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and in

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

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 ( hr, Tvrđava Sv. Nikole) 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 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

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 Plitvice Lakes National Park ( hr, Nacionalni park Plitvička jezera, colloquially ''Plitvice'', ) is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage lis ...

, known for its many waterfalls, flora, fauna, and historical and archaeological remains. * The

Kornati The Kornati archipelago (; it, Isole Incoronate) of Croatia, also known as the Stomorski islands, is located in the northern part of Dalmatia, south from Zadar and west from Šibenik, in the Šibenik-Knin County. With length and 89 islands, som ...

archipelago, west of Šibenik, consists of 150 islands in a sea area of about , making it the densest

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

Culture

The composer

Jakov Gotovac Jakov Gotovac (11 October 189516 October 1982) was a Croatian composer and conducting, conductor of classical music. His comic opera, ''Ero s onoga svijeta'' (''Ero the Joker''), Croatia's best-known opera, was first performed in Zagreb in 1935. ...

founded the city's "Philharmonia Society" in 1922. The 19th century composer

Franz von Suppé Franz von Suppé (né Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo de Suppe) (18 April 181921 May 1895) was an Austrian composer of light operas and other theatre music. He came from the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now part of Croatia). A co ...

was part of the city's cultural fabric, as he was a native of nearby

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

. 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. Šibenik panorama from fortress

Sports

As famous sports town, Šibenik is the hometown of many successful athletes: Aleksandar Petrović,

Dražen Petrović Dražen Petrović (; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s, before joining the Nati ...

Perica Bukić Perica Bukić (born 20 February 1966) is a Croatian former professional water polo player and politician. He represented Yugoslavia at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. Bukić was given the honour to carry the national flag of Croatia at the ...

, Ivica Žurić,

Predrag Šarić Predrag Šarić "Šiši" (born November 20, 1959) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. In his career, he played for Šibenka, Zadar, and Triglav Osiguranje Rijeka. He also played for the Yugoslavia national team six times. Play ...

Dario Šarić Dario Šarić (; born 8 April 1994) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He also represents the senior ...

, Vanda Baranović-Urukalo, Danira Nakić, Nik Slavica,

Miro Bilan Miro Bilan (born July 21, 1989) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Peristeri of the Greek Basket League. Standing at , he plays at the center position. Playing history Bilan started his career in his hometown, playing for Šibenik f ...

Dražan Jerković Dražan Jerković (; 6 August 1936 – 9 December 2008) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional football manager and player. His professional playing career spanned from 1954 to 1966, during which he played for Dinamo Zagreb and AA La Gantoise. ...

Petar Nadoveza Petar Nadoveza (9 April 1942 – 19 March 2023) was a Croatian professional football player and manager. During his playing spell at Hajduk he was nicknamed "Pere, splitski Pele" which meant "Pete, the Pelé from Split". Playing career Šibe ...

Krasnodar Rora Krasnodar Rora (23 March 1945 – 12 November 2020) was a Croatian professional football player and manager. Club career Rising through the ranks at Šibenik, Rora rose to prominence as a key player of the local powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb in the ...

Dean Računica Dean Računica (born 5 December 1969) is a Croatian professional football manager and retired player. He was most recently an assistant manager at Watford to Slaven Bilić. Playing career Računica began his career in his hometown Šibenik, whe ...

, Mladen Pralija, Ante Rukavina,

Duje Ćaleta-Car Duje Ćaleta-Car (; born 17 September 1996) is a Croatian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#centre-back, centre-back for Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon, on loan from EFL Champions ...

Mile Nakić Ante "Mile" Nakić (born 8 January 1942) is a Croatian former professional renowned water polo coach and water polo player. He worked as the head coach of the Yugoslavia national team from 1982 to 1983, while from 1992 to 1995 he coached the Gr ...

Franko Nakić Franko Nakić ( el, Φράνκο Νάκιτς; born June 9, 1972) is a Croatian-Greek retired professional basketball player. Under his Greek nationality, he is known by the name of Franko Nakits. Early life Nakić was born in Šibenik, to his fa ...

Siniša Belamarić Siniša Belamarić (born 12 February 1947) is a Croatian water polo player. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultur ...

, Renato Vrbičić, Ivica Tucak, Andrija Komadina, Miro Jurić,

Antonio Petković Antonio Petković (born 11 January 1986) is a Croatian water polo player who won silver medals at the 2015 World Championships and the 2016 Olympics. Orders * Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar - 2016 Neven Spahija Neven Spahija (born 6 November 1962) is a Croatian professional basketball coach who was most recently the head coach for Bitci Baskonia of the Liga ACB. He spent four years in the NBA as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis G ...

Antonija Sandrić Antonija Sandrić (born Mišura; May 19, 1988) is a Croatian professional basketball player for CCC Polkowice of the Basket Liga Kobiet and the Croatia national team. Sandrić has represented the national team in the 2009 Mediterranean Game ...

Mate Maleš Mate Maleš (; born 11 March 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder in Croatian club Lokomotiva Zagreb. Club career Maleš started his football career with HNK Šibenik, debuting for the first team at the age of ...

, Stipe Bralić,

Franco Jelovčić Franco Jelovčić (born 6 July 1991) is a Croatian futsal player who plays for Napoli A5 Calcio and the Croatia national futsal team The Croatia national futsal team represents Croatia during international futsal competitions and is controlled b ...

, Nives Radić, Karmela Makelja, and many others.

Basketball

The famous multi-purpose Baldekin Sports Hall was the home arena of KK Šibenik, the famous basketball club which played in the final of the

FIBA Korać Cup The FIBA Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971–72 and 2001–02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the FIBA European Champions' Cup (later renamed th ...

twice, as well as in the final of the 1982–83 Yugoslav league championship. The team was led by then 19-year-old Dražen Petrović. The women's basketball club,

ŽKK Šibenik Ženski košarkaški klub Šibenik ( en, Šibenik Women's Basketball Club), commonly referred to as ŽKK Šibenik or simply Šibenik, is a professional women's basketball club based in Šibenik, Croatia. It regularly competes in and has won the na ...

, is among the most successful women's basketball clubs in Croatia, winning the

Yugoslav league The Yugoslav First Federal Football League (Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...

title in 1991,

Yugoslav Cup The Yugoslav Cup ( hr, Pokal Jugoslavije; sr, Куп Југославије; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Kup kralja Aleksandra, ...

title twice, Croatian league title four times, Croatian Cup four times,

Adriatic league The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mac ...

five times, and the Vojko Herksel Cup four times. The dissolved men's basketball club, Jolly Jadranska banka, played in the play-offs semifinals of the Croatian league championship twice, as well as in the Krešimir Ćosić Cup final game in the 2016–17 season. The biggest success of GKK Šibenka, a club founded in 2010 following the dissolution of the famous KK Šibenik, came in the 2016–17 Croatian league championship season, when the club played the play-offs semifinals against powerhouse

Cibona Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and competes ...

. Šibenka lost to Cibona in the semifinals.

Football

Šubićevac stadium, which is located in the neighbourhood of the same name, has been the home ground of the

HNK Šibenik Hrvatski nogometni klub Šibenik ( en, Croatian Football Club Šibenik), better known as HNK Šibenik or simply Šibenik (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Šibenik. It competes in the Croatian Football League, and plays their ...

football club, which had played many years in the

Yugoslav Second League Yugoslav or Yugoslavian may refer to: * Yugoslavia, or any of the three historic states carrying that name: ** Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a European monarchy which existed 1918–1945 (officially called "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" 1918–1 ...

, and later many years in the

Croatian First League The Hrvatska nogometna liga () ( en, Croatian football league), also known as HNL or for sponsorship reasons the SuperSport HNL, is the top Croatian professional football (soccer), football league competition, established in 1992. Previously, i ...

. In the 2009–10 season, the club played in the Croatian Cup final, which they lost to powerhouse

Hajduk Split Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split () or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, t ...

. As of 2021, the club again competes in the Croatian First League.

Water polo

The dissolved water polo club,

VK Šibenik Vaterpolski klub Šibenik ( en, Šibenik Water Polo Club), commonly known as VK Šibenik or simply Šibenik, was a men's professional water polo club from the town on the Croatian coast called Šibenik. Club offices were on address Prilaz tvornici ...

, is considered to be one of the best men's clubs in

former Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...

, winning the second place in the 1986–87 domestic league season. It also played in the

LEN Euro Cup The LEN Euro Cup is the second-tier European water polo club competition run by the Ligue Européenne de Natation for those clubs who did not qualify for the LEN Champions League. The cup was inaugurated in 1992. History Names of the competiti ...

final game of the 2006–07 season, but lost to

Sintez Kazan Sintez is a Russian professional water polo club from Kazan, Russia. The club was formed in 1974 and plays in Russia's highest division since 1993. Former Russian centar forward Andrey Belofastov is head coach. Accomplishments * Russian Water ...

, as well as the club played in the

LEN Champions League The LEN Champions League is the top-tier European professional water polo club competition with teams from up to 18 countries. It is organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation. The competition started in 1963 as European Cup. A change of na ...

in the 2008–09 season, led both times by Ivica Tucak, today the head coach of the senior men's Croatian national team. Croatian water polo internationals, Perica Bukić and Renato Vrbičić, are Olympic medalists. They won gold medals at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Ivica Tucak has been the most successful coach of the senior men's Croatian national team ever.

Demographics

In the 2011 Croatian census, Šibenik's total city population is 46,332 which makes it the tenth-largest city in Croatia, with 34,302 in the urban settlement. Of Šibenik's citizens, 94.02% were ethnic

. The list of settlements is as follows: * Boraja, population 249 * Brnjica, population 72 *

Brodarica Brodarica is a village located 8 km south of Šibenik, Croatia. It is located on the Adriatic Sea coast, across the island of Krapanj and west of the bay of Morinje, by the D8 state road. The population is 2,534 (census 2011). Image galler ...

, population 2,534 * Čvrljevo, population 64 *

Danilo Danilo is a given name found in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Serbian. Notable people with the name Danilo include: Athletes Footballers * Danilo (footballer, born 1979), Brazilian footballer Danilo de Andrade * Danilo (footballer, born 19 ...

, population 376 * Danilo Biranj, population 442 * Danilo Kraljice, population 104 * Donje Polje, population 267 * Dubrava kod Šibenika, population 1,185 * Goriš, population 147 * Gradina, population 303 *

Grebaštica Grebaštica is a village in Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. It is located by the Adriatic Sea, 15 km south of Šibenik and 15 km north of Primošten. The main economic activity is tourism. Main sights Except beaches, there are other s ...

, population 937 *

Jadrtovac Jadrtovac (hist. ''Zamurva'', it, Castell′Andreis) is a village in Croatia. The community of Jadrtovac, with a surface of 24.5 km², is situated eight kilometres south-east of the city Šibenik at the eastern bank of the Morinje Bay. The settle ...

, population 171 *

Kaprije Kaprije ( it, Capri di Dalmazia) is an island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea. It is situated in Šibenik archipelago. It has area of and population of 189, in the eponymous single settlement on the island. The island is composed of hi ...

, population 189 * Konjevrate, population 173 * Krapanj, population 170 * Lepenica, population 68 * Lozovac, population 368 * Mravnica, population 70 * Perković, population 111 * Podine, population 26 * Radonić, population 79 * Raslina, population 567 * Sitno Donje, population 561 * Slivno, population 110 * Šibenik, population 34,302 *

Vrpolje Vrpolje () is a village and a municipality in Brod-Posavina County, Croatia. It is located 10 km south of Đakovo; elevation 90 m. The population of the village is 2,110, while the total municipality population is 4,023. See also *Strizivo ...

, population 776 * Vrsno, population 67 * Zaton, population 978 *

Zlarin Zlarin is a small island off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia near the mainland city of Šibenik. Administratively, it is part of Šibenik-Knin County. In the winter time, the island has a population of 284, but from March to October its population ...

, population 284 * Žaborić, population 479 * Žirje, population 103 Sebenico - Flickr - jns001

Economy

Port

Šibenik is one of the best protected ports on the Croatian Adriatic and is situated on the estuary of the Krka River. The approach channel is navigable by ships up to 50,000 tonnes deadweight. The port itself has depths up to 40 m.

International relations

Šibenik is twinned with: *

Civitanova Marche Civitanova Marche is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southeast of Ancona and about east of Macerata. Geography Civitanova Marche borders the municipalities: Montecosaro, Port ...

(since 2002) *

San Benedetto del Tronto San Benedetto del Tronto is a city and ''comune'' in Marche, Italy. Part of an urban area with 100,000 inhabitants, it is one of the most densely populated areas along the Adriatic Sea coast. It is the most populated city in Province of Ascoli Pi ...

Kreis Herford Herford () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Minden-Lübbecke, Lippe, the List of German urban districts, urban district of Bielefeld, and the districts Gütersloh (dist ...

* Voiron * Vukovar (since 2011) * Pineto (since 2016) * Razlog (since 2016) * Veszprém

Image gallery

File:Kroatien Sibenik.jpg, Šibenik harbor File:Sunrise in Šibenik 001.jpg, Sunrise in Šibenik File:Trip to Croatia-Day 6-Zadar-Sibenik 9 (2241359812).jpg, Square of the Republic of Croatia File:St. Jacobuskathedraal ; Sibenik.jpg, Šibenik Cathedral File:Sibenik cannons.JPG, Cannons in Šibenik File:Šibenik - gradska Nova vrata.jpg, The City "New Gate" (16th century) File:City Hall sibenik.JPG, Town Hall File:Gradska knjižnica Šibenik.jpg, Šibenik City Library File:Šibenska gradska straža na smotri u Čakovcu.jpg, "Šibenik City Guard" - a historical military unit File:Kaštel-s-Baronea.jpg, St. Michael's Fortress File:Sibenik sunset.jpg, Šibenik sunset File:View from beach Banj to St. Anthony Channel.jpg, View from Banj beach to St. Anthony Channel File:Fountain in Sibenik park.jpg, Fountain located in the Robert Visiani Park File:Sibenik coast.jpg, Šibenik coast File:View of beach Banj and Sibenik bridge.jpg, Šibenik sea including Banj beach and Šibenik Bridge File:Bell tower of St. John's Church.jpg, St. John's Church - bell tower File:Church of St. Francis in Sibenik.jpg, Entrance to the church of St. Francis File:Palace Pelegrini.jpg, Pellegrini Palace File:Sunset-over-St-Anthony-Channel.jpg, alt=Sunset-over-St-Anthony-Channel, Sunset over St. Anthony Channel, St. Anthony's Channel File:Beach-Banj-traditional-New-Year's-Day-swimming.jpg, alt=Beach-Banj-traditional-New-Year's-Day-swimming, Banj beach's traditional New Year's Day swimming

References

External links

Official Šibenik City website

Croatian Tourist Board

Photo gallery of Šibenik
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sibenik Šibenik, Cities and towns in Croatia Kingdom of Dalmatia Populated coastal places in Croatia Spa towns in Croatia Port cities and towns of the Adriatic Sea Former capitals of Croatia Populated places in Šibenik-Knin County 11th-century establishments in Croatia 1066 establishments in Europe Ports and harbours of Croatia Territories of the Republic of Venice