454 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp502–505 and pp506–507

Located on the Adriatic coast, the city of Dubrovnik is
renowned for the beauty of its monuments and its mag ni-
ficent walls. It was founded by refugees from Roman
Epidaurum, now Cavtat (see p461), in the 7th century.
Dubrovnik (or island of Ragusa as it was called) came
under Byzantine, Venetian and then Hungarian suzer-
ainty, although by the late 14th century, it was a de facto
self-governing city-state. In the 15th and 16th centuries,
its fleet exceeded 500 ships. Artistically it flourished, and
its wealth increased due to its privileged access to the
trade routes of the Ottoman Empire. Much of the Old
Town centre dates from the rebuilding that took place
after the earthquake of 1667. A UNESCO World Heritage
Site, Dubrovnik has been restored to its former glory after
the seige in the 1990s by Serb and Montenegrin forces.

P Walls
Access to the walls near the
Franciscan Monastery in Poljana
Paška Miličevića, the large square
behind Pile Gate. n (020) 324 641.

summer: 9am–7pm daily; winter:

10am–3pm. &
A symbol of Dubrovnik, the
walls (Gradske Zidine) offer
splendid views from their
parapets. They were built in
the 10th century, with modifi-
cations completed in the 13th
cen tury, and then reinforced
over the years by archi tects
such as Michelozzo Michelozzi
(1396–1472), Juraj Dalmatinac
(c. 1400–73) and Antonio
Ferramolino (c. 1490–1550).
The walls and ramparts
are 1,940 m (6,363 ft) long
and reach a height of 25 m
(82 ft) in some parts. Those
facing inland are up to 6 m
(20 ft) wide and strength-
ened by an outer wall with
ten semi-circular bastions.
Other towers and the Fort
of St John defend the section
facing the Adriatic Sea and
the Old Port. Completing the

defences to the east and

west of the city are two

fortresses, the Revelin and

the Lovrijenac.

P Pile Gate

The main entrance to the

old fortified centre is through

the imposing Pile Gate

(Gradska Vrata Pile). The

stone bridge leading to the

gate dates from 1537, and

crosses a moat which is now

a garden. The gate is a strong

defensive structure built on

different lev els. Above the

ogival arch stands a statue

of St Blaise, the patron saint

of Dubrovnik, by Ivan

Meštrović (see p491). Between

the inner and outer walls is a

Gothic portal.

P Big Fountain

of Onofrio

In the square which opens

out immediately beyond the

Pile Gate is the Big Fountain

of Onofrio (Velika Onofrijeva

Fontana), one of the best-

known monuments in the

city. It was built between

1438 and 1444 by the

Neapolitan architect, Onofrio

della Cava, who was respon-

sible for designing the city’s

water supply system. He

decided to draw water from

the Dubrovačka river for this

purpose. The fountain once

had two storeys, but

the upper level was

destroyed in the earth-

quake of 1667, which

killed thou sands of

people and destroyed

countless buildings.

Tucked between the

city walls and the

Franciscan Monastery,

opposite the fountain,

is the Church of

St Saviour (sv Spas),

built after an earlier

earthquake of 1520.

Its façade is an

example of Venetian-

Dalmatian Renaissance

archi tecture.

Dubrovnik 1

Pile Gate, leading to the Old Town

A superb view from the impressive city walls

The Big Fountain of Onofrio, dating

from 1438–44