Described as “heaven on earth” by travelers in the past, the significant port city Dubrovnik, once an independent city-state, presented direct competition to Venice, Italy.
A center of Mediterranean trade linking the Balkans to the rest of Europe, the Croatian town flourished throughout the centuries. It contained powerful fortifications – 4-to-6-meter walls fully enclosing the old city, 2 kilometers of which stand today.
Walking on top of these menacing walls, circling the treasured history contained within, offers a rare chance to take a step back in history. Standing beside one of the cannons, looking out into the sea and surrounding islands, ghost frigates and merchant ships come from the light and crystal-clear waters.
Dubrovnik was in a position to withstand any intruders and keep its independence and strength until surrendering to Napoleon’s forces, which was the sole resort to stop the continuing siege by Russian forces.
Later on Dubrovnik was given away to Habsburgs ; amalgamated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918 ; occupied by Nazis in the Second World War ; and changed into a republic of the communist Yugoslavia following the war.
It eventually gained its self-reliance in 1991, only to be attacked by Serbian-Montenegrin forces, which held the city under a siege for 7 months, continually dropping shells, slaughtering civilians and damaging over 50% the historic design. As a UNESCO Global heritage site, almost all of the damage endured by the old town was corrected, springing the history back to life.
Today, Dubrovnik is one of the most well liked holiday maker destinations in Croatia. Its old city, which feels more like one big house, with narrow, stone-paved streets ; its extraordinary natural harbor surrounding the rocky cliffs of its headland ; its fresh water, in which boats seem to hang in the air ; and its cultural and religious sites all make Dubrovnik a heavenly town. Comparatively low lodging prices and cheap airfares make it even more fascinating.
The first task upon entering the old town is getting on top of of the walls, making your way around while being up to 25 meters above the ground, peaking at the multi-leveled roofs with funky chimneys and busy streets underneath, and looking out into the awe-inspiring sea. The fortification system includes three forts, six bastions, 16 towers, 2 corner defenses and 2 castles.
The primary street, Placa or Stradun, stretches between 2 town gates, offering the biggest open-air gathering space. The famous Onofrio fountain sits at one end, while the bell tower, erected in 1444, stands at the other with 2 twin jacks, Maro and Baro, striking its bell.
The most effective way to enjoy the museums, studios and other cultural monuments, including the town walls, is through “Dubrovnik Card,” which costs far less than all the admission charges combined and can save time. The Maritime Museum and Franciscan Monastery – home to the third oldest chemist in Europe that is still functioning – are some examples of the worthwhile stops.
Dubrovnik is an oasis of ancient history, rich culture and breathtaking nature. Every visitor falls crazy about every one of the multiple dimensions to this town, almost all of which can hardly find a rival. With Italy and Greece being preferred nearby destinations, it is worth venturing a bit east or north, respectively, to enjoy another necessary corner of the Mediterranean culture as reported tagza.com.
Dubrovnik is a remarkably well-preserved example of a late-medieval walled city, with a regular street layout. Among the exceptional medieval, Renaissance and Baroque monuments within the superb fortifications and the monumental gates to the town are the City Hall (now the Rector’s Palace), dating from the 11th century ; the Franciscan Monastery (finished in the 14th century, but now largely Baroque in appearance) with its imposing church ; the extensive Dominican Monastery ; the cathedral (reconstructed after the 1667 tremor) ; the customs house (Sponza), the eclectic appearance of which reveals the indisputable fact that it’s the work of a few hands over many years ; and a number of other Baroque churches, for example that of St Blaise (patron saint of the city).
The original World heritage site consisted only of the defences and the intra-mural town. It was later extended to include the Pile medieval business suburb, a planned development of the fifteenth century, and the Lovrijenac Fortress, located on a cliff, which was doubtless started as early as the 11th century, but owes its present appearance to the fifteenth and 16th centuries. Also included were the Lazarets, built in the early 17th century to house potential plague-carriers from abroad, the late 15th-century Kase moles, built to protect the port against south-easterly storms, and the Revelin Fortress, dating from 1449, which was built to order the town moat on its north side.
The island of Lokrum lies to the south-east of Dubrovnik, some five hundred m from the coast. In 1023 it became a Benedictine abbey, the first of several in the Republic of Dubrovnik. It was repetitively enlarged in succeeding centuries, passing to the Congregation of St Justina of Padua in the late fifteenth century, when a new monastery was built in Gothic-Renaissance style to the south of the ruins of the Benedictine corporation. During their occupation of the island in the early 19th century the French commenced work on the construction of the Fort Royal Fortress, which was finished by the Austrians in the 1830s. In 1859 Archduke Maximilian of Austria (later Emperor of Mexico) purchased the island with the aim of building a villa in classical style on the ruins of the Benedictine abbey, but only a tiny part of this work was finished.
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