Sibenik-Knin County

The Krka River tumbles over travertine terraces for 47 meters at Skradinski Buk—Europe's largest cascading waterfall system—before emptying into the Adriatic at Šibenik. This geological feature defined the county's industrial history: hydroelectric stations at the falls powered Croatia's first public electric grid in 1895 and still supply the aluminum plant at Lozovac. Water falling over limestone creates both scenery and industrial capacity.

The county's geography is split between coast and hinterland. The 100-kilometer coastline includes 242 islands, most famously the Kornati archipelago—a national park of barren, lunar-looking limestone formations. Šibenik itself occupies the bay where river meets sea, its medieval cathedral of St. James (UNESCO World Heritage) built entirely of stone without mortar. But 45 kilometers inland lies Knin, where Croatian history pivoted twice.

Knin served as capital of the medieval Croatian kingdom in the 11th century, its fortress commanding the routes between Dalmatia and the interior. Nine hundred years later, the city became capital again—of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina from 1991 to 1995. The Serb nationalist rally of July 1989 that launched the movement toward secession took place in Knin; when Croatian forces retook the city during Operation Storm on August 5, 1995, the symbolic victory marked the war's effective end. The Croatian flag raised over Knin fortress remains the defining image of independence.

Postwar recovery has meant different things for coast and interior. Šibenik's tourism boomed; Krka National Park and Kornati draw visitors who never existed as a market before 1995. Knin and the inland areas struggle with depopulation and the scars of ethnic cleansing—the Serb population that made up much of the hinterland largely did not return. By 2026, the county embodies Dalmatia's challenge: prosperous coastline, emptying mountains, and a history that shaped the nation.