For fans of art and history, we warmly recommend a sightseeing trip to the ancient Dalmatian town of Šibenik, only 30km of Murter. Šibenik is the oldest Croatian town on the Adriatic coast. It is also called Krešimir's town since it was the residence of King Petar Krešimir IV, the most important ruler of the ancient Croatian state. The first written mention of Šibenik was found in King Krešimir's papers dating from 1066 A.D. Šibenik is located in a large bay where the Krka river meets the sea. It grew from an old Croatian fort near the fortress of St. Michael, which still overlooks the town. Apart from St. Michael's, the town is surrounded by three other fortresses: St. Nicholas', St.John's and Šubićevac.
Its narrow winding streets, stone houses, many staircases and the remains of the city walls give Šibenik that romantic Mediterranean atmosphere. The St. Jacob's Cathedral is the most famous building in Šibenik. The erection of the cathedral took over a hundred years. It was made according to sketches by Juraj Dalmatian, a renowned master builder from Zadar. Made of stone exclusively, its unique constructions were both bold and unusual for that time.. The cathedral is also known for its Apse, with a crown of 72 heads portraying the contemporaries of Juraj Dalmatian in a very realistic manner. The Cathedral, the Renaissance town hall, the Prince's castle, the neighboring churches and palaces - all are a part of an impressive square, probably the most beautiful one in the town-planning heritage of Croatia. >> read more
