As November is on the doorstep, we decided to use the last sunny days of October for a trip. This time we headed toward Kresimir’s city of Sibenik. We were welcomed by an expert guide who took us around Sibenik with many interesting facts about the city that they reminded us of through stories.
Sibenik is located in the central part of the Croatian Adriatic coast, in a picturesque, indented bay into which the Krka flows, one of the most beautiful Croatian karst rivers. Today, Sibenik is the administrative-political, economic and social-cultural center of Sibenik-Knin County. In 2016, Sibenik celebrated 950 years since its founding – it was first mentioned on 25 December 1066 in the charter of King Petar Kresimir IV, which is why it is also called Kresimir’s city. One of the city’s greatest attractions is the Cathedral of St. James, built over more than a hundred years, a testament to the perseverance, sacrifice and piety of generations of Sibenik’s people. It is special in many ways, not only in Croatian but also in European architecture: it is entirely built of stone. It is unique for its daring structural assemblies of stone slabs and ribs, and that without the use of any binding material. It is also unique among Renaissance churches with a facade in the shape of a trefoil, as well as for the harmony of the architecture and the series of 71 realistic portraits on the apses. The creator of this phenomenal building is Juraj Dalmatinac, and since the year 2000 it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
After a walk through the city, we used our free time for coffee and a snack and then headed to Pakovo Selo, to Etnoland Dalmati. Etnoland in Pakovo Selo is a winner of the gold medal for quality in agritourism and the proud owner of three ‘Green Flowers’ for the best tourist attraction in continental Croatia, as the most awarded excursion site in Croatia. The hosts attracted our students with a faithful reconstruction of a typical village of the Sibenik and Dalmatian hinterland, in which they could see how people once lived. A hearty lunch followed, rest in the fresh air, and the return to Split.
