The 3D SEBENICO project has recently brought ten Italian researchers (architects, historians, archaeologists, designers) to the campus at the Fortress of St. John, where they are exploring and documenting the fortification heritage of Šibenik and its surroundings. In addition to the Šibenik Fortress of Culture, project partners include the Universities of Florence, Pavia, and Padua, the City of Verona, the Institute for Cultural Heritage of the Veneto Region, and the Croatian Institute for Art History.
"The weather is ideal, and we have everything we need on campus, while the Šibenik fortresses are fascinating. This year, we are focused on creating digital documentation of the wall at Oštrica near Grebaštica, but we have also visited and will visit other nearby locations," said project leader Dr. Sandro Parrinello from the University of Florence.
The wall of Oštrica was built at the end of the 15th century and served as a shelter for the local population during the period of Ottoman devastation. Thanks to the Šibenik Fortresses Club, in 2020, the Fortress of Culture conducted the first archaeological excavations on the wall, during which the foundations of the southern tower were discovered.
"After the archaeological excavations, my colleague Andrija Nakić and I conducted numerous field surveys of the peninsula, reviewed archival sources, and wrote the first scientific paper on the rampart, which is currently under review and will be published at the end of the year," said Josip Pavić, head of the Department for Interpretation and Research of the Heritage of the Fortress of Culture Šibenik.
The Italian experts will be in Šibenik from February 16th to 24th, and they will present their results at an international conference to be held at the Fortress of St. John campus on Friday, February 23rd. The two main workshop themes are the history and development of Šibenik's fortifications and methods of documenting, preserving, and valorizing fortresses. The workshop will also feature renowned Croatian researchers of fortification heritage, including Andrej Žmegač, Ivo Glavaš, Ivan Alduk, Darka Bilić, and others.
"One of the main goals of the project is the exchange of knowledge and experiences with our trans-Adriatic colleagues. Over the past decade, numerous scientific papers, exhibitions, publications, and projects related to fortification heritage have been produced here. However, significant methodological innovations in the documentation and restoration of monument heritage are taking place in the West. We are here to learn from each other and to apply what we have learned," concludes Pavić.
