MARGINALIA OF ŠIBENIK AND ITS INHABITANTS IN 19th CENTURY

The transition from 18th to 19th century left Šibenik with 4,300 inhabitants, by mid-century it rose to over 5,120, and by the beginning of the 80’s it approached 7,000. The highest increse in the number of farm labourers was recorded in the Varoš. Besides this demographic phenomenon the inhabitants of the Grad also underwent a change. Only some of the remainders of patriciate lived there – only about 20 aristocratic families. The number of tradespeople decreased, of the Serbian population among them also, but it increased in the Varoš. In 19th century Šibenik offered a heterogeneous and contrastting picture, which was reflected not only in the demographic characteristics of the inhabitants but also in their architecture, common building, costumes (red caps and hatters), spech (the Dolac chakavian, Varoš štokavian and ikavian dialects prevailing ousting the autochthonous speech), in work and customs, economic status, understanding, culture, etc. Šibenik became more and more the inhabitated place of labourers, mostly of the poor ones and of the country proleteriat. The literary chronicle gives the picture of commonplace occurrences as: only beggars, everywhere beggars! And the proverbial waspishness of the Trieste inhabitants ran: »Va in Dalmazia per vedere i pitocchi!