Sibenik Travel Guide

Introduction

Sibenik is a former industrial port town that has fallen on hard times since the 1991 war and still is suffering from the subsequent economic woes. However, as coastal towns go, Sibenik offers a change of pace from Dalmatia's strong Italianate influences since its origins are pure Croatian rather than Roman.

Situated on a broad bay at the mouth of the Krka River, Sibenik's footprint is sometimes likened to an amphitheater as it hugs the slopes that emanate from St. Anne's Fortress, a sprawl that began shortly after the city was first mentioned in Croatian historical writings in 1066. Today, much of Sibenik's charm comes from the warren of steep, winding streets and passages, the many sets of stone steps leading up to the center, and the ruins of city fortifications that fan out from St. Anne's to the water. Above the harbor, Sibenik's center is crowded with churches and monasteries as well as stone dwellings on narrow, covered streets that open to a series of interior town...