Old City of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, today listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. The prosperity of the city was historically based on maritime trade; as the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy.

The 'Pearl of the Adriatic' became an important Mediterranean sea power from the 13th century onwards. Although severely damaged by an earthquake in 1667, Dubrovnik managed to preserve its beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains.

A feature of Dubrovnik is its walls that run almost 2 kilometres around the city. The walls are 4 to 6 metres thick on the landward side but are much thinner on the seaward side. The system of turrets and towers were intended to protect the vulnerable city. The walls of Dubrovnik have also been a popular filming location for the fictional city of King's Landing in the HBO television series, Game of Thrones.

Few of Dubrovnik's Renaissance buildings survived the earthquake of 1667 but fortunately enough remained to give an idea of the city's architectural heritage. The finest Renaissance highlight is the Sponza Palace which dates from the 16th century and is currently used to house the National Archives.

Dubrovnik's most beloved church is St Blaise's church, built in the 18th century in honour of Dubrovnik's patron saint. Dubrovnik's Baroque Cathedral was built in the 18th century and houses an impressive Treasury with relics of Saint Blaise. The city's Dominican Monastery resembles a fortress on the outside but the interior contains an art museum and a Gothic-Romanesque church.

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Details

Founded: 7th century
Category: Historic city squares, old towns and villages in Croatia

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Mitch Hicks (8 months ago)
Go in the morning for fresh produce. It’s too bad there is no Fish. Later in the afternoon it’s more tourist trinkets.
Thomas Goldby (9 months ago)
A good selection of fresh fruits, €5 for this box of figs, not cheap but they were delicious.
Lynn George (11 months ago)
A lot of hand made items, embroidered lavender bags, bookmarks, purses, cosmetics bags, tablecloths all in taking ages to do on sale. The main lady who has the stall very friendly especially with those who share her hobby, ready to knock something off the price. Fruit and veg also on stalls around square. Be careful where you go around there for small bottles of water as they can cost around €4.40 per sml bottle when they are €0.88 around the corner for the same sized bottle. You're better filling an empty bottle from the fountains which a lot of people do! Will be back next year, may visit again!
Wilson Foo (2 years ago)
Nice little open air market where you can buy local produce like fruits and vegetables, hand made jewellery, lavender soaps and essence, nuts and other dried fruits like figs and tangerines. Not a very big place so you should be able to cover everything within 20 minutes.
Grant G (2 years ago)
At least they still do it? But split had much more vendors and options, I think this place has become too touristy probably for it to make sense to do anymore do to logistics maybe? Too bad, would feel really nice to have a true sized marketplace happen here.
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