Described As ‘Heaven On Earth’ By Travelers During The Past, The Historical Port City Dubrovnik, Once An Independent City-State, Presented Direct Competition To Venice, Italy.
Described as “heaven on earth” by travelers during the past, the important port city Dubrovnik, once an independent city-state, presented direct competition to Venice, Italy.
A nexus of Mediterranean trade linking the Balkans to the rest of Europe, the Croatian town prospered throughout the centuries. It contained strong fortifications – 4-to-6-meter walls fully enclosing the old city, two kilometers of which stand today.
Walking atop these menacing walls, circling the adored history contained within, offers a unique chance to take a step backwards in history. Standing beside one of the cannons, looking out into the sea and surrounding islands, ghost frigates and merchant ships come forth from the light and clear as crystal waters.
Dubrovnik was able to bear any intruders and keep its autonomy and strength till surrendering to Napoleon’s forces, which was the only resort to stop the ongoing siege by Russian forces.
Later , Dubrovnik was given to Habsburgs ; amalgamated into the Dominion of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918 ; occupied by Fascists during the Second World War ; and became a republic of the communist Yugoslavia following the war.
It eventually gained its self-determination in 1991, only to be attacked by Serbian-Montenegrin forces, which held the city under a siege for seven months, consistently dropping shells, murdering civilians and damaging more than half the historic design. As a UNESCO World heritage site, most of the damage endured by the old town was repaired, springing the history back to life.
Today, Dubrovnik is one of the most well-liked tourist destinations in Croatia. Its old city, which feels more like one huge house, with narrow, stone-paved streets ; its amazing natural harbour surrounding the rocky cliffs of its headland ; its clean water, in which boats seem to hang in the air ; and its cultural and spiritual sites all make Dubrovnik a heavenly town. Comparatively low lodging costs and cheap airfares make it more attractive.
The 1st task upon entering the old town is getting atop of the walls, making your way around while being up to twenty-five meters above the ground, topping at the multi-leveled roofs with funky chimneys and busy streets underneath, and looking out into the splendid sea. The fortification system includes 3 forts, six bastions, 16 towers, two corner defenses and two citadels.
The main street, Placa or Stradun, stretches between two 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 two twin jacks, Maro and Baro, striking its bell.
The most effective way to enjoy the museums, galleries and other cultural monuments, including the town walls, is thru “Dubrovnik Card,” which costs much less than all of the admission fees combined and can save time. The Maritime Museum and Franciscan Monastery – home to the third oldest pharmacy in Europe that’s still working – are some examples of the productive stops.
Dubrovnik is an oasis of traditional history, rich culture and breathtaking nature. Each visitor falls in love with every one of the multiple dimensions to this town, most of which can hardly find a rival. With Italy and Greece being popular close by destinations, it is worth venturing a bit east or north, respectively, to enjoy another essential 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 in the wonderful fortifications and the monumental gates to the town are the City Hall (now the Rector’s Palace), dating from the eleventh century ; the Franciscan Monastery (finished in the 14th century, but now principally Baroque in appearance) with its imposing church ; the in depth Dominican Monastery ; the cathedral (rebuilt after the 1667 quake) ; the customs house (Sponza), the eclectic appearance of which reveals the indisputable fact that it is the work of one or two hands over many years ; and several other Baroque churches, for example that of St Blaise (patron saint of the city).
The first World heritage site consisted solely of the defences and the intra-mural town. It was later extended to incorporate the Pile medieval industrial suburb, a planned development of the fifteenth century, and the Lovrijenac Fortress, found on a cliff, which was possibly started as early as the eleventh 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 offer protection to the port against south-easterly gales, and the Revelin Fortress, dating from 1449, which was built to command the town moat on its northern side.
The island of Lokrum lies to the south-east of Dubrovnik, some 5 hundred m from the coast. In 1023 it changed into a Benedictine abbey, the first of a couple of 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 priory was built in Gothic-Renaissance style to the south of the ruins of the Benedictine enterprise. 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) acquired the island with the intention of building a villa in classical style on the ruins of the Benedictine abbey, but only a tiny part of this work was completed.
Port wine stain treatment with the Gemini laser