We visited the fortress of St. Nicholas, the keeper of the Saint Anthony’s canal! A popular series was filmed there!

Croatia hides many gems. One of my favorites is the fortress of St. Nicholas which I will tell you about today. From a young age, history has always attracted me, especially fortresses, because every time I visit them, I am overwhelmed by their spirit of the past.

What particularly attracted me to this fortress on that one summer day was its inaccessibility – it can only be reached by boat. Fortunately, a business trip to Šibenik brought me right to her, the beauty and keeper of the channel of the Saint Anthony’s canal, which is located at its very beginning.

Fortress of St. Nicholas, Photo: Adria.fun

Built in the 16th century by the Republic of Venice, the fortress of St. Nicholas, is situated on a small island connected to the islet of Školjić by a narrow path. During the advancement of the Ottoman Empire and after the fall of Skradin, the Venetians worried about the security of many of their possessions in Italy, Croatia, and Montenegro, one of which was Šibenik, one of the most important cities of that time.

To defend it from the sea and intimidate the enemy, they built this very defense system right at the entrance.

Fortress of St. Nicholas, Photo: Adria.fun

Soon after the decision to build, the plans started, and Giano Girolama Sanmicheli was in charge of the project. Work began in 1540 and was completed four years later when it took the shape of a triangle with three defensive bastions.

Fortress of St. Nicholas consists of two entrances, one facing the islet of Školjić which is not in use today, and the other, the main entrance facing the sea where today is the dock for the boat that will bring you here from Šibenik.

Fortress of St. Nicholas, Photo: Adria.fun

As soon as you arrive and cross the wooden bridge, the road splits into two sides, the underground one, which is almost at sea level, where several rooms for defense and weapon storage are hidden, and the outer part, which was used for additional reconnaissance. There is also a well on the upper part and a wonderful view of the canal from all sides.

If you are a big fan of the series, you must know that the fifth season of Game of Thrones was filmed in the inner part, specifically the famous stairs.

Fortress of St. Nicholas, Photo: Adria.fun

After the fortress was completed in a very short time, the army that guarded it also arrived. Fortunately for the people of Venice and Šibenik, it was never significantly attacked and was abandoned when the Austro-Hungarian army left at the beginning of the 20th century.

Due to the valuable defensive characteristics left behind by the Venetians, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with four other fortresses and the Zadar defense system.

Fortress of St. Nicholas, Photo: Adria.fun

If you get the chance, just like me, then you have to visit it. You can catch the boat on the Šibenik waterfront and it will take about 30 minutes, and on it, you will get to know some of the historical and natural landmarks of this Croatian gem.