Yes, there are beautiful, old cities and towns lined along the coast of Croatia and many of them are quite unique and very memorable. But, although Trogir, Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik…attract a lot of travelers these days, my personal favorite is Šibenik.

There is simply something about Šibenik.
No matter if it is the historic charm still preserved in the old part of the town…

… omnipresent images of easy living…

…childhood memories…

… or that romance in the air…

…Šibenik is full of wonderful images. Beautiful views and historic details at every turn: typical Mediterranean city but with very unique soul and heritage. Despite the population being nearly wiped out of plague in late 17th century, the city recovered and prospered again with it’s heyday being the late 19th century and early 20th century. Trade, shipping, wine, crafts, factories… All that, and much more, one was able to find in Šibenik and it’s busy harbor.

And that is one more reason to feel sad now, in the 21st century, to see all or Dalmatian cities – not only Šibenik – looking abandoned and deserted. Hundred years ago, there were people hanging out…

Working on their boats…

Redefining their city by tearing down medieval walls and towers…

… and enjoying their city being city in the true sense of the word!

…with people from the nearby islands and villages coming to trade their produce to wealthy families of local merchants and industrialists…

…and ships coming from far away to bring the finest materials and necessities to the locals.

Hopefully, the Dalmatian cities will rebound.
Soon.
And the streets of our towns and cities will be filled with happy folks proud of their heritage and with clear idea where we are going and what we are doing. Šibenik lacks a lot of infrastructure for serious, quality tourism but recent developments are bringing fresh ideas and I want to believe that, in my time, we will change the things around…