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File:Sibenik coat of arms.JPG Coat of arms |
| Latitude | 43.74°N |
| Longitude | 15.89°E |
| Mayor | Nedjeljka Klarić |
| Surface (km²) | ? |
| Population (2006) |
37,120 |
| Time zone (UTC) | UTC+1 Central European Time |
Šibenik (German: Sibenning, Italian: Sebenico) is an historic town in Croatia, population 51,553 (2001). It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Geographical location 43°44′06″N 15°53′26″E / 43.73500°N 15.89056°E / 43.73500; 15.89056
Šibenik is a political, educational, traffic, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin county. The majority of its citizens are Croats, with 94.02% (2001 census).
History
Šibenik was mentioned for the first time under its present name in 1066 in a Charter of the Croatian King Petar Krešimir IV. Unlike other Dalmatian towns that were founded by the Illyrians, Greeks, and Romans, it is the oldest native Croatian town on the eastern shores of the Adriatic. Šibenik was given the status of a town and its own diocese in 1298. Excavations of the castle of Saint Ana have since proven that the place was inhabited long before the actual arrival of the Croats.
The city, like the rest of Dalmatia, resisted the Venetians up to 1412. The Ottoman Empire started to threaten Šibenik at the end of the 15th century, but they never succeed in conquering it. In the 16th century, the fortress of St. Nicholas was built and, by the 17th century, its fortifications were improved again by the fortresses of St. John (Tanaja) and Šubićevac (Barone).
The fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797 brought Šibenik under the authority of the Habsburg Monarchy. After World War I it was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, while during World War II it was occupied by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. After WWII it was part of the SFR Yugoslavia until finally becoming part of the Republic of Croatia in 1990.
Today's Šibenik
Today, Šibenik is a centre for artistic and cultural events. The annual Šibenik International Children's Festival (Međunarodni Dječji Festival) is one example.
The central church in Šibenik, the Cathedral of St. James is on the UNESCO world heritage list. Several successive architects built it completely in stone in the 15th and 16th century, both in Gothic and in Renaissance style. The interlocking stone slabs of the Cathedral's roof were damaged when the city was shelled by Serbian forces in 1991. The damage since has been repaired.
The composer Jakov Gotovac founded the city's "Philharmonia Society" in 1922. The composer Franz von Suppé was part of the city's cultural fabric, as he was a native of nearby Split. The most famous residents were the inventor Faust Vrančić, and in more recent times, basketball legend Dražen Petrović and actor Goran Višnjić (best-known as Dr Luka Kovač on ER).
External links
