Dubrovnik, Pearl of the Adriatic

Dubrovnik has it all: a medieval fortress on a rocky cliff, an old town (Stari Grad in Croatian) filled with narrow alleyways and architectural gems, towering ramparts you can walk on, and a magical setting beside the glorious blue waters of the Adriatic. It’s no wonder it has been called the Pearl of the Adriatic. And it’s also easy to understand why it has become such a tourist magnet in recent years. Everywhere I looked, there were picture-perfect scenes I wanted to capture in photos, if only those pesky tourists would get out of the way. Actually, I’m so glad I was there in April, before the crush of summer visitors arrived. 

 

Dubrovnik was my first stop in Croatia. We started our discovery outside the Pile (that’s a 2-syllable word) Gate, one of the three entrances to the old town, where we met our local guide, Marijeta. From this vantage point, we had an excellent view of St. Lawrence Fortress, which sits on a 121-foot high rocky cliff outside the western walls of the old town. For at least 700 years, it defended the city from the sea. 

Standing in view of the impressive fortress, we listened to Marijeta’s summary of over 1300 years of Dubrovnik’s history. Here are a few key facts:

• Dubrovnik, originally called Ragusa, was founded in the seventh century by Roman refugees fleeing advancing barbarians. 
• Ragusa was part of the Roman Empire and after the fall of Rome, part of the Byzantine Empire. During this time, it became an important commercial center of maritime and continental trade. 
• At the beginning of the 13th century it fell under the control of the Venetians and stayed under Venetian control until 1358. 
• It then became the capital of the independent Republic of Ragusa although it was a tributary of the Ottoman Empire from 1382 to 1804. 
• It suffered a devastating earthquake in 1667 and was rebuilt in Baroque style. 
• Napoleon’s French forces occupied Dubrovnik in 1806.
• In 1815, Dubrovnik became part of the Kingdom of Dalmatia in the Hapsburg (later Austro-Hungarian) Empire. 
• After World War I, it was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later, Yugoslavia). 
• Dubrovnik’s old town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
• Today, it is a city of approximately 28,000 people, with an economy based primarily on tourism. 

Right before we entered through the Pile Gate, Marijeta pointed out a small stone fountain that is called the Jewish fountain. When the first Jewish traders arrived in Dubrovnik in 1352, they were not allowed to drink from the city’s two public fountains. A special fountain was built in the old town for their exclusive use. The Jewish population of Dubrovnik increased in the 16^th century with the arrival of many Jews fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal but the segregated fountain policy remained in effect until Napoleon arrived in 1806 and granted Jews equal rights. The Jewish fountain was then moved outside the walls of the old town to its present location, where it is kept as a permanent monument. 

 

Enveloped in a large crowd of tourists, we followed Marijeta across a wooden drawbridge and entered Stari Grad, the old town. The statue over the Renaissance arch is the figure of Saint Blaise, an Armenian bishop who is the patron saint of Dubrovnik.

Less than 1000 people actually live within the city walls nowadays. In earlier times, the nobility lived within the walled city and the farmers lived outside the walls. The walls have been rebuilt several times over the centuries, most recently between the 13^th to 17^th century.

 

The first place we stopped was at the large fountain that was part of the water supply for the old town. Built in 1438, it’s still in use. 

Stari Grad’s wide main street, made of polished limestone, is called Placa. In earlier times, it was a canal.

Marijeta pointed out a Renaissance style church and adjoining Franciscan Monastery on this street. Construction of the complex began in 1317 and took several centuries to complete. Later in the day, I visited the monastery, which contains a museum and the oldest pharmacy in Europe that is still functioning. It also has a peaceful cloister.  

Back to our guided walking tour – Marijeta led us to the Jesuit stairs, a Baroque stone staircase that’s similar to the Spanish Steps in Rome. The staircase leads to a Jesuit church and college.

 

Next, we walked past the colonnaded Rector’s Palace (to the right in the photo below). Its architecture is a combination of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. The building was the administrative center of the Republic of Ragusa from the 14^th century and 1808. The republic was an oligarchy with the rector as head of state. The rector, who had to be at least 50 years old, was elected by the nobles to serve a one-month term. The real power, however, remained with the council of nobles.

 

I enjoyed walking through the narrow streets that were lined with restaurants, souvenir shops, jewelry stores, and ice cream parlors.

 

Soon after we reached the Church of St. Blaise, built in the Venetian Baroque style in 1715, I heard bells ringing out from the nearby bell tower, signaling the noon hour and reminding me that it was hungry for lunch. 

After our group lunch, I decided to tackle the walls that surround Stari Grad. To make a complete circuit of the approximately 1.9 kilometers (a little over a mile) of ramparts usually takes at least an hour, depending on how many times you stop to take photos. And there were plenty of photo-worthy sights along the way. 

 

A few moments into the climb, I looked down into the streets of the old town. It was interesting that while half the sky was blue, masses of dark threatening clouds covered the other half. I didn’t relish the prospect of being caught up on the ramparts during a thunderstorm but I decided to press onwards. 

Before long, I was peering out at a more residential area within the walls.

Looking out in one direction, I had a view of the view of the rocky promontory blanketed with houses and the Fortress of St. Lawrence.

 

Looking in the other direction, I could see houses climbing up the hillside outside the walls.

Guard posts are built into the walls and cannons point out to the sea.

 

I only walked halfway around the ramparts because I thought I heard thunder. In any case, when I descended, I rewarded myself with a cone of hazelnut gelato from Gianni’s.

 

Fortunately, the rain held off so I made my way back to the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, to take a look at Titian’s painting that hangs at the back of the altar. The Baroque building dates back to 1713. It was built on the site occupied by two previous churches. The first was built during Byzantine times (5^th-6^th century) and the second was Romanesque (11^th-12th century).

Next, I found my way to Dubrovnik’s Old Synagogue, located on a quiet side street called ulica Zudioska(Jewish Street). The synagogue, built in 1408, occupies a narrow three-story stone building. It is the oldest Sephardic synagogue in use in the world and the second oldest synagogue in use in Europe. Its small museum contains three Torah scrolls. The oldest one dates back to the 13^th or 14^th century. The largest one was brought during a later time period from Spain or Italy. The size of Dubrovnik’s Jewish community reached its peak in 1580. The Holocaust wiped out most of Croatia’s Jewish population. Today, there are only about 2000 Jews in the entire country. 

I also stopped into the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Annunciation, which was built in the 19^thcentury. 

That seemed like enough for one day so I took the bus back to our hotel, located about ten to thirty minutes from the old town (depending on traffic). After spending most of the day in the medieval Stari Grad, I experienced a bit of culture shock when I returned to the modern, sprawling resort property. It had a lovely setting, however. 

The following morning, we focused on Dubrovnik’s more recent history, specifically the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. To do this, when we traveled just outside the city to the fortress on Srð Mountain, overlooking the city. The fortress was built by Napoleon’s forces in 1812 when he was fighting wars across Europe. Two years later, after the defeat of Napoleon, the fortress came under the control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 

 

Here’s some background information: The Croatian people voted to leave the confederation of Yugoslavia in June, 1991. However, the Serbian president, Slobodan Milošović, opposed this declaration of independence and convinced the forces of the Yugoslav People’s Army (primarily Serbian) to attack. The Croatian army was composed mostly of volunteers who had deserted from the Yugoslav army. During the war, there was a great deal of damage to the country’s infrastructure. In addition, tens of thousands of people were displaced or killed. Many people, perhaps half the population, sought asylum in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina. After over four and a half years of fighting, Croatia won its independence. 

 

We met with Vera, a longtime resident of Dubrovnik, who described what she and others experienced during the war. First of all, she said that no one thought the Serbs would target Dubrovnik because it was a well-known UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, on October 1, 1991, the Yugoslav army began a siege of Dubrovnik. War ships off the coast shot at the city. In November, they bombed the old town, causing significant damage.

 

The city was defended by Croat forces using the fortress on Srð mountain as their base. It was repeatedly attacked by the Serbian forces and there were many casualties in the area. During the nearly eight months that Dubrovnik was under siege, the residents suffered greatly as water and electricity were cut off. 

 

The fortress now houses a war museum containing maps, timelines, photographs, and military equipment that added greatly to my understanding of the conflict. 

 

From the fortress, we had great views of the surrounding countryside and the city below.

At the end of our visit, we took a cable car back down from the mountaintop. It let us off near the Ploče Gate to the old town. This gate, located near the port, was built in the 15^th century.

 

We then had some free time to explore the old town. I quickly found a restaurant with outdoor tables where I had a pizza lunch (excellent) and narrowly avoided being caught in the midst of a crazed flock of birds.  

After lunch, I decided to check out the museum in the Rector’s Palace where I saw a collection of iron chests. The iron chests were portable, lockable containers for keeping money, documents, and other valuables. Under the lids were very complicated locking mechanisms. They were made during the 16^th to 19^th century. in addition to being very functional, the chests were quite beautiful.

 

There was also a pair of bronze “jacks” on display. These were bronze human figures created in 1478 to stand on Dubrovnik’s bell tower and strike the hour. They remained on the bell tower until 1905.

Later in the afternoon, we regrouped to drive out of the city to a family-run restaurant and farm called Stone Mill where we learned about olive oil and tasted a variety of products made on the farm, including candied orange peel and cherry brandy.

 

A complete dinner followed.

While we were eating, two local musicians provided lively entertainment. They even got us to join them in some dancing. 

It was a lovely conclusion to our stay in Dubrovnik. Tomorrow we’d begin the next phase of our trip, heading away from the coast and crossing the border into the neighboring country of Bosnia and Herzegovina.