| Twelve kilometres north of Šibenik, Vodice is the most-visited tourist resort in the region, with modern hotel developments on either side of its broad bay and a large and well-equipped yachting marina in the middle. There is a small nucleus of historic buildings and narrow streets in the centre of Vodice, surrounded by a pleasantly low-rise sprawl of family houses and tourist-oriented apartment buildings. Vodice’s beaches consist mostly of concrete, gravel and pebble, so don’t get too excited about building any sandcastles.
The town gets its name from the many sources of drinkable water in the area (voda is Croatian for “water”). Indeed the city of Šibenik was supplied by ship with drinking water from Vodice right up until the 1870s, when its own piped water system was constructed.
Grandest of the old buildings in the centre is the Ćorić Tower, sole surviving remnant of fortifications built in the 15th century to defend the town against the Ottomans. A solid-looking townhouse nearby holds the Vodice Aquarium, which contains an entertaining and educational display of Adriatic sea creatures, which – featuring sea bream, sea bass and dentex – looks rather like a 3-D menu for the seafood restaurants you might be eating in later. Upstairs is a fine collection of antique amphorae salvaged by underwater archeologists, and an impressive collection of model boats from all ages and countries – they range from traditional Croatian fishing vessels to the 17th-century Swedish warship Wasa, that famously sank within twenty minutes of its launch. |