A place where the river meets the sea, where knowledge and experiences are exchanged
The visitor centre St Anthony’s Channel is the central location for the presentation of the biodiversity, natural and cultural values of the protected areas of the Šibenik-Knin County, intended for providing information and education for visitors. The content of the exhibition comprises a series of multimedia interactive displays of flora and fauna, particularly the undersea world, which enables visitors, with the help of virtual reality devices, to experience the natural and cultural values of the channel and the Krka estuary as well as other protected areas of the Šibenik-Knin County.
The visitor centre St Anthony’s Channel is located in Minerska Cove, one of the most accessible coves in the St Anthony’s Channel, which can be reached by land and sea. On the left side of the channel the former Yugoslav Army built a complex of military facilities, warehouses and piers with related infrastructure and this location was, therefore, unknown even to Šibenik residents until about twenty years ago because they were strictly denied access to the complex.
It can’t be denied that to a certain extent the former Yugoslav Army managed the area in a sustainable manner, while respecting its values; this is evidenced by hundreds of metres of dry stone walls and the state of preservation of the flora and fauna when the army left the area.
The departure of the former Yugoslav Army from the cove has been immortalised in one of the best and most watched contemporary Croatian films. Some scenes from How the War Started on My Island, directed by Šibenik-based authors Ivo and Vinko Brešan, were filmed in this location, inspired by an actual protest that was held in front of the barracks of the Yugoslav Army.
