Fortress Sv. Nikola Šibenik

Built in the 16th century by the Venetian engineer Sammichelle, it was used to defend the city from the sea side and is surrounded by water on all sides. Only a small dam leads over to the building, which is impressive in its size and beefiness.
From here, the entrance through the canal (below in the picture) to the city was easy to control and defend. Opposite on the headland you can see the lighthouse "Jadrija", which is west of the fortress and borders the other side of the canal entrance.
If you take a closer look, there are also small personal eyewitnesses inside the fortifications, such as the immortalization of a soldier from 1914 in the picture below. At least my interpretation of the inscription and testimony of an old Croatian veteran with whom I had an interesting conversation there .
Here is the view from the sea side coming from the island of Zlarin and heading towards the canal, which continues behind the bulwark of the defense towards the northeast direction to the city. In the background you can see part of the city and the fortress Sv. Ivan.
The true extent of Sv. Nikola only reveals itself inside, you have climbed the walls. Given the sheer size of the facility, one admires the performance of the builders and curiosity drives you to continue exploring the building.
The all-round view through the embrasures on the Adriatic Sea and the offshore islands illustrates the once important strategic location of the building through the centuries for the city and the region around Šibenik.
Finally discovered a rusty iron gate with a staircase, the creepy part of exploring the weir system begins. It is scary going down in the dark with a damp and foul smell.
Also in the basement of the fortress, the immense area of the various rooms amazes, be it cells for prisoners, large camps or other defense structures such as loopholes just above the level of the sea level.
Old coats of arms testify to the old masters of the region and the warlike past, slowly fading away. The ravages of time gnaw at Sv. Nikola. The fortress is currently being restored to keep it in good condition and is on the list of proposed UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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