Water Supply in Šibenik in the Early Modern Period and the Inventory of Šibenik’s Cisterns from 1808

Abstract

Data on cisterns in the area of the city of Šibenik date back to the first half of the 15th century, a period which, with the re-establishment of Venetian rule (1412– 1797), allows us to trace the organisation of the city’s water supply. The list compiled by Ignacije Kučić provided an ‘insight’ into the condition of the city’s public cisterns. By analysing historical sources, and in particular the aforementioned 1808 document, this study examines how water was managed in Šibenik, as well as the political, economic, and social characteristics of these systems. The question arises as to how much of Šibenik’s water supply was the responsibility of the state, and how much fell within the domain of private interests. Water supply was undoubtedly a political issue, but it was not solely linked to Venetian administration; it also related to the dynamics within the local community. On several occasions, the town magistrates highlighted in their reports the importance of the long-term restoration of cisterns, rather than resorting to temporary repairs and the costly, difficult transportation of water from Vodice. Water was supplied to the garrison in the fortresses, the largest female monasteries (which partially provided water to local women), the largest Dominican monastery, and the political elite in the Duke’s Palace, while for the wider citizenry there were two cisterns within the city walls. The Four Wells / Quattro Pozzi project, as one of the few systematic schemes aimed at addressing the water supply problem, enabled the collection of water for the broader population. Nevertheless, the Venetian Republic showed little initiative in constructing public cisterns within the city walls. Its primary interests were focused on strengthening the city’s military and defensive capacities, with major investments directed towards the water supply for the garrisons in fortresses such as St Michael and St John, or St Nicholas at the entrance to St Anthony Channel, while civilians in most cases relied on private initiatives. In conclusion, answers to questions concerning the control of access to water in Šibenik and the political dimension of this issue must be sought in the relationship between the city authorities and wealthier citizens, who had the means to finance private water supply systems, thereby closely linking political and social dynamics to access to this essential resource.