Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (;
see notes on naming), is a city on the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
in the region of
Dalmatia, in the southeastern
semi-exclave of
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
. It is one of the most prominent
tourist destinations in the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
, a
seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
and the centre of the
Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Its total population is 42,615 (2011 census). In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik was added to the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
list of
World Heritage Sites
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in recognition of its outstanding medieval architecture and fortified old town.
The history of the city probably dates back to the 7th century, when the town known as was founded by refugees from
Epidaurum Epidaurus ( el, Ἐπίδαυρος, la, Epidaurum) or Epidauros was an ancient Greek colony founded sometime in the 6th century BC, renamed to Epidaurum during Roman rule in 228 BC, when it was part of the province of Illyricum, later Dalmatia.W ...
(). It was under the
protection
Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...
of the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and later under the sovereignty of the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
. Between the 14th and 19th centuries, Dubrovnik ruled itself as a
free state. The prosperity of the city was historically based on
maritime trade; as the capital of the maritime
Republic of Ragusa
hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world"
, population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century
, currency = ...
, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilled
diplomacy
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...
. At the same time, Dubrovnik became a cradle of
Croatian literature
Croatian literature refers to literary works attributed to the medieval and modern culture of the Croats, Croatia, and Croatian. Besides the modern language whose shape and orthography was standardized in the late 19th century, it also covers t ...
.
The entire city was almost destroyed when a
devastating earthquake hit in 1667. During the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, Dubrovnik was occupied by the
French Empire forces, and then the Republic of Ragusa was abolished and incorporated into the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and later into the
Illyrian Provinces. Later on, in the early 19th to early 20th century, Dubrovnik was part of the
Kingdom of Dalmatia
The Kingdom of Dalmatia ( hr, Kraljevina Dalmacija; german: Königreich Dalmatien; it, Regno di Dalmazia) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entire ...
within the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
. Dubrovnik became part of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...
immediately upon
its creation, and it was incorporated into its
Zeta Banovina
The Zeta Banovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zetska banovina, Зетска бановина), was a province ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of all of present-day Montenegro as well as ...
in 1929, before becoming part of the
Banovina of Croatia upon
its creation in 1939. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, it was part of the
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.Compare: Puppet states have nominal sove ...
Independent State of Croatia, before being reincorporated into
SR Croatia
The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Sociali ...
in
SFR Yugoslavia.
In 1991, during the
Croatian War of Independence, Dubrovnik was
besieged
Besieged may refer to:
* the state of being under siege
* ''Besieged'' (film), a 1998 film by Bernardo Bertolucci
{{disambiguation ...
by the
Yugoslav People's Army for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling. After undergoing repair and restoration works in the 1990s and early 2000s, it re-emerged as one of the Mediterranean's top tourist destinations, as well as a popular filming location.
Names
The names ''Dubrovnik'' and ''Ragusa'' co-existed for several centuries. ''Ragusa'', recorded in various forms since at least the 10th century (in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
,
Dalmatian,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
; in vec, Raguxa), remained the official name of the
Republic of Ragusa
hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world"
, population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century
, currency = ...
until 1808, and of the city within the
Kingdom of Dalmatia
The Kingdom of Dalmatia ( hr, Kraljevina Dalmacija; german: Königreich Dalmatien; it, Regno di Dalmazia) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entire ...
until 1918, while ''Dubrovnik'', first recorded in the late 12th century, was in widespread use by the late 16th or early 17th century.
The name ''Dubrovnik'' of the Adriatic city is first recorded in the
Charter of Ban Kulin
The Charter of Ban Kulin ( Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian: Povelja Kulina bana / Повеља Кулина бана) was a trade agreement between the Banate of Bosnia and the Republic of Ragusa that effectively regulated Ragusan trade rights in Bosnia, ...
(1189). The most common explanation for the origin is from a
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium B.C. through the 6th ...
word meaning 'oak', and the term referring to 'oak wood' or 'oak forest', as in all other Slavic languages the word , , means 'oak' and , mean 'oakwood'.
The historical name ''Ragusa'' is recorded in the Greek form (, Latinized ) in the 10th century. It was recorded in various forms in the medieval period, ''Rausia, Lavusa, Labusa, Raugia, Rachusa''. Various attempts have been made to etymologize the name. Suggestions include derivation from Greek , "grape"; from Greek , "narrow passage"; Greek "ragged (of rocks)", () "fissure"; from the name of the Epirote tribe of the ''Rhogoi'', from an unidentified
Illyrian substrate. A connection to the name of
Sicilian Ragusa has also been proposed. Putanec (1993) gives a review of etymological suggestion, and favours an explanation of the name as pre-Greek ("
Pelasgian
The name Pelasgians ( grc, Πελασγοί, ''Pelasgoí'', singular: Πελασγός, ''Pelasgós'') was used by classical Greek writers to refer either to the predecessors of the Greeks, or to all the inhabitants of Greece before the emergenc ...
"), from a root cognate to Greek "fissure", with a suffix ''-ussa'' also found in the Greek name of
Brač
Brač is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of ,
making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel, which is wide. The island's tall ...
, ''Elaphousa''.
The name of the city in the native
Dalmatian language, now extinct, was , as shown by a 1325 letter in Dalmatian. In Albanian, the city was referred to as ''
Rush'' ( sq-definite, Rushi), from Latin ''Ragusium'', which itself could be derived from
Proto-Albanian
The Proto-Albanian language is the unattested language from which Albanian later developed. Albanian evolved from an ancient Paleo-Balkan language, traditionally thought to be Illyrian, or otherwise a totally unattested Balkan Indo-European ...
''*rāguša'' meaning "berry".
The classical explanation of the name is due to
Constantine VII's ''
De Administrando Imperio'' (10th century). According to this account, Ragusa () is the foundation of the refugees from
Epidaurum Epidaurus ( el, Ἐπίδαυρος, la, Epidaurum) or Epidauros was an ancient Greek colony founded sometime in the 6th century BC, renamed to Epidaurum during Roman rule in 228 BC, when it was part of the province of Illyricum, later Dalmatia.W ...
(
Ragusa Vecchia), a Greek city situated some to the south of Ragusa, when that city was destroyed in the Slavic incursions of the 7th century. The name is explained as a corruption of a
Dalmatae
The Delmatae, alternatively Dalmatæ, during the Roman period, were a group of Illyrian tribes in Dalmatia, contemporary southern Croatia and western Bosnia and Herzegovina. The region of Dalmatia takes its name from the tribe.
The Delmatae ap ...
/
Romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
word ''Lausa'', the name of the rocky island on which the city was built (connected by Constantine to Greek "rock, stone").
History
Origins
Dubrovnik was inhabited by the
Illyrian tribe of
Dalmatae
The Delmatae, alternatively Dalmatæ, during the Roman period, were a group of Illyrian tribes in Dalmatia, contemporary southern Croatia and western Bosnia and Herzegovina. The region of Dalmatia takes its name from the tribe.
The Delmatae ap ...
in ancient times. According to
Constantine Porphyrogenitus
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Ka ...
's ''
De Administrando Imperio'' ( 950), Ragusa was founded in the 7th century, named after a "rocky island" called ''Lausa'', by refugees from
Epidaurum Epidaurus ( el, Ἐπίδαυρος, la, Epidaurum) or Epidauros was an ancient Greek colony founded sometime in the 6th century BC, renamed to Epidaurum during Roman rule in 228 BC, when it was part of the province of Illyricum, later Dalmatia.W ...
(
Ragusa Vecchia), a Roman city situated some 15 km to the south, when that city was destroyed by Slavs fighting with the Avars. It was one of the
Dalmatian city-states.
Excavations in 2007 revealed a
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
basilica from the 8th century and parts of the
city walls.
The size of the old basilica clearly indicates that there was quite a large settlement at the time.
There is also evidence for the presence of a settlement in the pre-Christian era.
Antun Ničetić, in his 1996 book ' (), expounds the theory that Dubrovnik was established by Greek sailors, as a station halfway between the two Greek settlements of
Budva and
Korčula
Korčula (, it, Curzola) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after ...
, apart from each of them.
Republic of Ragusa
After the fall of the
Ostrogothic Kingdom
The Ostrogothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of Italy (), existed under the control of the Germanic Ostrogoths in Italy and neighbouring areas from 493 to 553.
In Italy, the Ostrogoths led by Theodoric the Great killed and replaced Odoacer, ...
, the town came under the
protection
Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...
of the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
. Dubrovnik in those medieval centuries had a Roman population. In 12th and 13th centuries Dubrovnik became a truly oligarchic republic, and benefited greatly by becoming a commercial outpost for the rising and prosperous
Serbian state, especially after the signing of a treaty with
Stefan the First-Crowned. After the
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
, Dubrovnik came under the sovereignty of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
(1205–1358), which would give its institutions to the Dalmatian city. In 1240, Ragusa purchased the island of
Lastovo from
Stefan Uroš I
Stefan Uroš I ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош I; 1223 – May 1, 1277), known as Uroš the Great (Урош Велики) was the King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276, succeeding his brother Stefan Vladislav. He was one of the most important ruler ...
, king of
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
, who had rights over the island as ruler of parts of
Hum. After a fire destroyed most of the city in the night of August 16, 1296, a new urban plan was developed. By the
Peace Treaty of Zadar in 1358, Dubrovnik achieved relative independence as a vassal-state of the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
. Ragusa experienced further expansion when, in 1333, Serbian emperor
Stefan Dušan
Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан, ), known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr, / ; circa 1308 – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Tsar (or Emperor) and autocrat of the Serbs, Gre ...
, sold
Pelješac and
Ston
Ston () is a settlement and a municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula.
History
Because of its geopolitical and strategic position, Ston has had a rich history since ant ...
in exchange for cash and an annual tribute at the moment when her connection with the rest of Europe, especially Italy, brought her into the full current of the Western
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
.
Between the 14th century and 1808, Dubrovnik ruled itself as a
free state, although it was a tributary from 1382 to 1804 of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
and paid an annual tribute to its sultan. The Republic reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries, when its
thalassocracy rivalled that of the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
and other Italian maritime republics.
For centuries, Dubrovnik was an ally of
Ancona, the other Adriatic
maritime republic rival of Venice, which was itself the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
's chief rival for control of the Adriatic. This alliance enabled the two towns set on opposite sides of the Adriatic to resist attempts by the Venetians to make the Adriatic a "Venetian Bay", also controlling directly or indirectly all the Adriatic ports. Ancona and Dubrovnik developed an alternative trade route to the Venetian (Venice–
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
–
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
): starting in Dubrovnik it went on to Ancona, through
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
and ended in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
.
The Republic of Ragusa received its own Statutes as early as 1272, which, among other things, codified Roman practice and local customs. The Statutes included prescriptions for
town planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
and the regulation of quarantine (for sanitary reasons).
The Republic was an early adopter of what are now regarded as modern laws and institutions: a medical service was introduced in 1301, with the first
pharmacy, still operating to this day, being opened in 1317. An
almshouse was opened in 1347, and the first quarantine hospital (Lazarete) was established in 1377.
Slave trading was abolished in 1418, and an
orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...
opened in 1432. A
water supply system
A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following:
# A drainage basin (see water purification – sourc ...
, instead of a cistern, was constructed in 1438 by the Neapolitan architect and engineer Onofrio della Cava. He completed the aqueduct with two public fountains. He also built a number of mills along one of its branches.
The city was ruled by the local
aristocracy which was of Latin-Dalmatian extraction and formed two
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
s. As usual for the time, they maintained a strict system of
social classes. The republic abolished the
slave trade early in the 15th century and valued liberty highly. The city successfully balanced its sovereignty between the interests of Venice and the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
for centuries.
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
was originally used in official documents of the Republic.
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
came to use in the early 15th century. A variant of the Dalmatian language was among the spoken ones, and was influenced by
Croatian and Italian. The presence of Croatian in everyday speech increased in late 13th century, and in literary works in the mid-15th century. In the coming decades, Dubrovnik became a cradle of
Croatian literature
Croatian literature refers to literary works attributed to the medieval and modern culture of the Croats, Croatia, and Croatian. Besides the modern language whose shape and orthography was standardized in the late 19th century, it also covers t ...
.
The economic wealth of the Republic was partially the result of the land it developed, but especially of seafaring trade. With the help of skilled diplomacy, Dubrovnik merchants travelled lands freely and the city had a huge fleet of
merchant ships (
argosy) that travelled all over the world. From these travels they founded some settlements, from India (cf.
Ragusan trade with India) to America, and brought parts of their culture and flora home with them. One of its keys to success was not conquering, but trading and sailing under a white flag with the la, Libertas word (freedom) prominently featured on it. The flag was adopted when slave trading was abolished in 1418.
Many
Conversos, Jews from Spain and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
who converted to Christianity, were attracted to the city. In May 1544, a ship landed there filled exclusively with Portuguese refugees, as Balthasar de Faria reported to King John. During this time there worked in the city one of the most famous cannon and bell founders of his time:
Ivan Rabljanin
Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin ( it, Johannes Baptista Arbensis de la Tolle) (1470–1540) was a famous cannon and bell founder in bronze; born in Rab, most of his works are in Dubrovnik.
He made cannons for Italy, Spain and Republic of Dubrovnik
...
(Magister Johannes Baptista Arbensis de la Tolle). Already in 1571 Dubrovnik sold its protectorate over some Christian settlements in other parts of the Ottoman Empire to France and
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
. At that time there was also a colony of Dubrovnik in
Fes in Morocco. The bishop of Dubrovnik was a
Cardinal protector in 1571, at that time there were only 16 other countries which had Cardinal protectors.
Dubrovnik was a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire at one time. From this, they gained benefits such as access to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
, paid less customs duties (they however needed to make tribute payments) and had the diplomatic support of the Turks in trade disputes against the
Venetians. This status also allowed increased trade with the inland regions through the Balkan overland trade which made merchants from Dubrovnik to build up a strong network unequaled with other Christian states.
The Republic gradually declined due to a combination of a
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
shipping crisis and the catastrophic
earthquake of 1667 that killed over 5,000 citizens, levelled most of the public buildings and, consequently, negatively affected the
well-being
Well-being, or wellbeing, also known as wellness, prudential value or quality of life, refers to what is intrinsically valuable relative ''to'' someone. So the well-being of a person is what is ultimately good ''for'' this person, what is in th ...
of the Republic. In 1699, the Republic was forced to sell Neum, two mainland patches of its territory to the Ottomans in order to avoid being caught in the clash with advancing Venetian forces. Today this strip of land belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina and is that country's only direct access to the Adriatic. A highlight of Dubrovnik's diplomacy was the involvement in the Diplomacy in the American Revolutionary War#Ragusa, American Revolution.
Early modern period
On 27 May 1806, the forces of the First French Empire, Empire of France occupied the neutral
Republic of Ragusa
hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world"
, population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century
, currency = ...
. Upon entering Ragusan territory without permission and approaching the capital, the French General Jacques Lauriston demanded that his troops be allowed to rest and be provided with food and drink in the city before continuing on to take possession of their holdings in the Bay of Kotor. However, this was a deception because as soon as they entered the city, they proceeded to occupy it in the name of Napoleon. Almost immediately after the beginning of the French occupation, Russian and Montenegrin troops entered Ragusan territory and began fighting the French army, raiding and pillaging everything along the way and culminating in a siege of the occupied city (during which 3,000 cannonballs fell on the city). In 1808 Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, Marshal Marmont issued a proclamation abolishing the
Republic of Ragusa
hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world"
, population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century
, currency = ...
and amalgamating its territory into the French Empire's client state, the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. Marmont claimed the newly created title of "Duke of Ragusa" () and in 1810 Ragusa, together with Istria and
Dalmatia, went to the newly created French
Illyrian Provinces.
After seven years of French occupation, encouraged by the desertion of French soldiers after the failed French Invasion of Russia, invasion of Russia and the reentry of Austria in the War of the Sixth Coalition, war, all the social classes of the Ragusan people rose up in a general insurrection, led by the patricians, against the Napoleonic invaders. On 18 June 1813, together with British forces they forced the surrender of the French garrison of the island of Šipan, soon also the heavily fortified town of
Ston
Ston () is a settlement and a municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula.
History
Because of its geopolitical and strategic position, Ston has had a rich history since ant ...
and the island of Lopud, after which the insurrection spread throughout the mainland, starting with Konavle. They then Siege of Ragusa, laid siege to the occupied city, helped by the British Royal Navy, who had enjoyed Adriatic campaign of 1807–1814, unopposed domination over the Adriatic sea, under the command of Captain William Hoste, with his ships HMS ''Bacchante'' and . Soon the population inside the city joined the insurrection. The
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
sent a force under General Todor Milutinović offering to help their Ragusan allies. However, as was soon shown, their intention was to in fact replace the French occupation of Ragusa with their own. Seducing one of the temporary governors of the Republic, Biagio Bernardo Caboga, with promises of power and influence (which were later cut short and who died in ignominy, branded as a traitor by his people), they managed to convince him that the gate to the east was to be kept closed to the Ragusan forces and to let the Austrian forces enter the City from the west, without any Ragusan soldiers, once the French garrison of 500 troops under General Joseph Hélie Désiré Perruquet de Montrichard, Joseph de Montrichard had surrendered.
After this, the Flag of Saint Blaise was flown alongside the Austrian and British colors, but only for two days because, on 30 January, General Milutinović ordered Mayor Sabo Giorgi to lower it. Overwhelmed by a feeling of deep patriotic pride, Giorgi, the last Rector of the Republic, refused to do so "for the masses had hoisted it". Subsequent events proved that Austria took every possible opportunity to invade the entire coast of the eastern Adriatic, from Venice to Kotor. The Austrians did everything in their power to eliminate the Ragusa issue at the Congress of Vienna. Ragusan representative Miho Bona, elected at the last meeting of the Major Council, was denied participation in the Congress, while Milutinović, prior to the final agreement of the allies, assumed complete control of the city.
Regardless of the fact that the government of the Ragusan Republic never signed any capitulation nor relinquished its sovereignty, which according to the rules of Klemens von Metternich that Austria adopted for the Vienna Congress should have meant that the Republic would be restored, the Austrian Empire managed to convince the other allies to allow it to keep the territory of the Republic. While many smaller and less significant cities and former countries were permitted an audience, that right was refused to the representative of the Ragusan Republic. All of this was in blatant contradiction to the solemn treaties that the Austrian Emperors signed with the Republic: the first on 20 August 1684, in which Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I promises and guarantees inviolate liberty ("inviolatam libertatem") to the Republic, and the second in 1772, in which the Empress Maria Theresa promises protection and respect of the inviolability of the freedom and territory of the Republic.
Languages
The official language until 1472 was
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
. As a consequence of the increasing migration of Slavic population from inland Dalmatia, the language spoken by much of the population was
Croatian, typically referred to in Dubrovnik's historical documents simply as "Slavic". To oppose the demographic change due to increased Slavic immigration from the Balkans, the native Romance population of Ragusa, which made up the oligarchic government of the Republic, tried to prohibit the use of any Slavic languages in official councils. Archeologists have also discovered medieval Glagolitic script, Glagolitic tablets near Dubrovnik, such as the inscription of Župa Dubrovačka, indicating that the Glagolitic script was also likely once used in the city.
The Italian language as spoken in the republic was heavily influenced by the Venetian language and the Tuscan language, Tuscan dialect. Italian took root among the Dalmatian-speaking merchant upper classes, as a result of Venetian influence which strengthened the original Latin element of the population.
Austrian rule
When the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Empire annexed these provinces after the 1815 Congress of Vienna, the new authorities implemented a bureaucratic administration, established the
Kingdom of Dalmatia
The Kingdom of Dalmatia ( hr, Kraljevina Dalmacija; german: Königreich Dalmatien; it, Regno di Dalmazia) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entire ...
, which had its own Sabor (Diet) or Parliament which is the oldest Croatian political institution based in the city of Zadar, and political parties such as the Autonomist Party and the People's Party (Dalmatia), People's Party. They introduced a series of modifications intended to slowly Centralized government, centralise the bureaucratic, tax, religious, educational, and trade structure. These steps largely failed, despite the intention of wanting to stimulate the economy. Once the personal, political and economic damage of Napoleonic Wars, the Napoleonic Wars had been overcome, new movements began to form in the region, calling for a political reorganisation of the Adriatic along national lines.
The combination of these two forces—a flawed Habsburg administrative system and new national movement claiming ethnicity as the founding block toward a community—posed a particularly perplexing problem: Dalmatia was a province ruled by the German-speaking Habsburg monarchy, with bilingual (Croatian- and Italian-speaking) elites that dominated the general population consisting of a Slavic Catholic majority, as well as a Eastern Orthodox Church, Slavic Orthodox minority. Further complicating matters was the reality that increased emphases on ethnic identification in the nineteenth century did not break down along religious lines, as evident in the Serb-Catholic movement in Dubrovnik.
In 1815, the former Dubrovnik government (its noble assembly) met for the last time in Ljetnikovac in Mokošica. Once again, extreme measures were taken to re-establish the Republic, but it was all in vain. After the fall of the Republic most of the aristocracy was recognised by the Austrian Empire.
In 1832, Baron Šišmundo Getaldić-Gundulić (''Sigismondo Ghetaldi-Gondola'') (1795–1860) was elected Mayor of Dubrovnik, serving for 13 years; the Austrian government granted him the title of "Baron".
Pucić (family), Count Rafael Pucić (''Raffaele Pozza'') (1828–1890) was elected for first time Podestà of Dubrovnik in the year 1869 after this was re-elected in 1872, 1875, 1882, 1884) and elected twice into the Dalmatian Council, 1870, 1876. The victory of the Nationalists in Split, Croatia, Split in 1882 strongly affected in the areas of Korčula and Dubrovnik. It was greeted by the mayor (podestà) of Dubrovnik Rafael Pucić, the National Reading Club of Dubrovnik, the Workers Association of Dubrovnik and the review "Slovinac"; by the communities of Kuna and Orebić, the latter one getting the nationalist government even before Split.
In 1889, the Serb-Catholic movement in Dubrovnik, Serb-Catholic circle supported Baron Frano Getaldić-Gundulić, Francesco Ghetaldi-Gondola, the candidate of the Autonomist Party, Autonomous Party, vs the candidate of Popular Party Vlaho de Giulli, in the 1890 election to the Dalmatian Diet. The following year, during the local government election, the Autonomous Party won the municipal re-election with Francesco Gondola, who died in power in 1899. The alliance won the election again on 27 May 1894. Frano Getaldić-Gundulić founded the ''Società Philately'' on 4 December 1890.
In 1905, the Committee for establishing electric tram service, headed by Luko Bunić – certainly one of the most deserving persons who contributed to the realisation of the project – was established. Other members of the Committee were Ivo Papi, Miho Papi, Artur Saraka, Mato Šarić, Antun Pugliesi, Mato Gracić, Ivo Degiulli, Ernest Katić and Antun Milić. Trams in Dubrovnik, The tram service in Dubrovnik existed from 1910 to 1970.
Čingrija, Pero Čingrija (1837–1921), one of the leaders of the People's Party in Dalmatia,
played the main role in the merger of the People's Party and the Party of Right into a single Croatian Party in 1905.
Yugoslav period (1918–1991)
With Dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the fall of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the city was incorporated into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later renamed to
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...
). Dubrovnik became one of the 33 Oblasts of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, oblasts of the Kingdom. When Yugoslavia was divided among nine Banovinas of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, banovinas in 1929, the city became part of the
Zeta Banovina
The Zeta Banovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zetska banovina, Зетска бановина), was a province ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of all of present-day Montenegro as well as ...
. In 1939, Dubrovnik became part of the Cvetković–Maček Agreement, newly created
Banovina of Croatia.
During the World War II in Yugoslavia, Dubrovnik became part of the
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.Compare: Puppet states have nominal sove ...
,
Independent State of Croatia (NDH), occupied by the Italian Army first, and by the German Army (1935–1945), German Army after 8 September 1943. There were clashes between Italian and German troops in Dubrovnik when the Germans took over.
In October 1944, Yugoslav Partisans liberated Dubrovnik, arresting more than 300 citizens and executing 53 without trial; this event came to be known, after the small island on which it occurred, as the Daksa executions (1944), Daksa executions. Communist leadership during the next several years continued political prosecutions, which culminated on 12 April 1947 with the capture and imprisonment of more than 90 citizens of Dubrovnik. After the war the remaining members of Dalmatian Italians of Dubrovnik left Yugoslavia towards Italy (Istrian-Dalmatian exodus).
Under communism Dubrovnik became part of
SR Croatia
The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Sociali ...
within
SFR Yugoslavia. After the World War II, the city started to attract crowds of tourists–even more after 1979, when the city joined the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
list of
World Heritage Sites
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. The growth of tourism also led to the decision to demilitarise the Dubrovnik Old Town. The income from tourism was pivotal in the post-war development of the city, including its airport. The Dubrovnik Summer Festival was founded in 1950. The Adriatic Highway (''Magistrala'') was opened in 1965 after a decade of works, connecting Dubrovnik with Rijeka along the whole coastline, and giving a boost to the tourist development of the Croatian riviera.
Since 1991: Breakup of Yugoslavia and its aftermath
In 1991, Croatia and Socialist Republic of Slovenia, Slovenia, which at that time were republics within SFR Yugoslavia, declared their independence. At that event, Socialist Republic of Croatia was renamed to Croatia, Republic of Croatia.
Despite the demilitarisation of the Old Town in early 1970s in an attempt to prevent it from ever becoming a casualty of war, following Independence of Croatia, Croatia's independence in 1991,
Yugoslav People's Army (JNA)–by then composed primarily of Serbs–attacked the city. The new Government of Croatia, Croatian government set up a military outpost in the city itself. Socialist Republic of Montenegro, Montenegro–led by President of Montenegro, President Momir Bulatović and Prime Minister of Montenegro, Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, who came to power in the Anti-bureaucratic revolution, Anti-bureaucratic Revolution and were allied to Slobodan Milošević in Socialist Republic of Serbia, Serbia–declared that Dubrovnik should not remain in Croatia because they claimed it historically had never been part of an independent Croatia, but rather more historically aligned with the coastal history of Montenegro. Be that as it may, at the time most residents of Dubrovnik had come to identify as Croats, Croatian, with Serbs in Dubrovnik, Serbs accounting for 6.8 percent of the population.
On 1 October 1991, Dubrovnik was attacked by the JNA resulting in Siege of Dubrovnik, a siege that lasted for seven months. The heaviest artillery attack was on 6 December with 19 people killed and 60 wounded. The number of casualties in the conflict, according to Croatian Red Cross, was 114 killed civilians, among them poet Milan Milišić. Foreign newspapers were criticised for placing heavier attention on the damage suffered by the Old Town than on human casualties. Nonetheless, the artillery attacks on Dubrovnik damaged 56% of its buildings to some degree, as the historic walled city, a List of World Heritage Sites in Croatia, UNESCO World Heritage Site, sustained 650 hits by artillery rounds.
The Croatian Ground Army, Croatian Army lifted the siege in May 1992, and Operation Tiger (1992), liberated Dubrovnik's surroundings by the end of October, but the danger of sudden attacks by the JNA lasted for another three years.
Following the end of the Croatian War of Independence, war, damage caused by the shelling of the Old Town was repaired. Adhering to UNESCO guidelines, repairs were performed in the original style. Most of the reconstruction work was done between 1995 and 1999. The inflicted damage can be seen on a chart near the city gate, showing all artillery hits during the siege, and is clearly visible from high points around the city in the form of the more brightly coloured new roofs.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) issued indictments for JNA generals and officers involved in the bombing. General Pavle Strugar, who coordinated the attack on the city, was sentenced to a seven-and-a-half-year prison term by the tribunal for his role in the attack.
The 1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash, near Dubrovnik Airport, killed everyone on a United States Air Force jet, including United States Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, ''The New York Times'' Frankfurt Bureau chief Nathaniel C. Nash, and 33 other people.
Geography
Climate
Dubrovnik has a borderline humid subtropical (''Cfa'') and Mediterranean climate (''Csa'') in the Köppen climate classification, since only one summer month has less than of rainfall, preventing it from being classified as solely humid subtropical or Mediterranean. Dubrovnik has hot, muggy, moderately dry summers and mild to cool wet winters. The Bora (wind), bora wind blows cold gusts down the Adriatic coast between October and April, and thundery conditions are common all the year round, even in summer, when they interrupt the warm, sunny days. The air temperatures can slightly vary, depending on the area or region. Typically, in July and August daytime maximum temperatures reach , and at night drop to around . In Spring and Autumn maximum temperatures are typically between and . Winters are among the mildest of any Croatian city, with daytime temperatures around in the coldest months. Snow in Dubrovnik is very rare.
* Air temperature
** average annual:
** average of coldest period: January,
** average of warmest period: August,
* Sea temperature
** average May–September:
* Salinity
** approximately 3.8%
* Precipitation (meteorology), Precipitation
** average annual:
** average annual rain days: 109.2
* Sunshine
** average annual: 2629 hours
** average daily hours: 7.2 hours
Heritage
The annual Dubrovnik Summer Festival is a 45-day-long cultural event with live plays, concerts and games. It has been awarded a Gold International Trophy for Quality (2007) by the Editorial Office in collaboration with the Trade Leaders Club.
The patron saint of the city is Saint Blaise, Sveti Vlaho (Saint Blaise), whose statues are seen around the city. He has an importance similar to that of Mark the Evangelist, St. Mark the Evangelist to Venice. One of the larger churches in city is named after Saint Blaise.
February 3 is the feast of Sveti Vlaho. Every year the city of Dubrovnik celebrates the holiday with Mass, parades, and festivities that last for several days.
The Old Town of Dubrovnik is depicted on the Obverse and reverse, reverse of the Croatian 50 Croatian kuna, kuna banknote, issued in 1993 and 2002.
The city boasts many old buildings, such as the Trsteno, Arboretum Trsteno, the oldest arboretum in the world, which dates back to before 1492. Also, the third-oldest European
pharmacy and the oldest still in operation, having been founded in 1317, is in Dubrovnik, at the Little Brothers monastery.
In history, many Conversos (Marranos) were attracted to Dubrovnik, formerly a considerable seaport. In May 1544, a ship landed there filled exclusively with Portugal, Portuguese refugees, as Balthasar de Faria reported to King John. Another admirer of Dubrovnik, George Bernard Shaw, visited the city in 1929 and said: "If you want to see heaven on earth, come to Dubrovnik."
In the bay of Dubrovnik is the wooded island of Lokrum, where according to legend, Richard I of England, Richard the Lionheart, King of England, was cast ashore after being shipwrecked in 1192. The island includes a fortress, botanical garden, monastery and Nude beach, naturist beach.
Among the many tourist destinations are a few beaches. Banje, Dubrovnik's main public beach, is home to the Eastwest Beach Club. There is also Copacabana Beach, a stony beach on the Lapad peninsula, named after the popular beach in Copacabana (Rio de Janeiro), Rio de Janeiro.
By 2018, the city had to take steps to reduce the excessive number of tourists, especially in the Old Town. One method to moderate the overcrowding was to stagger the arrival/departure times of cruise ships to spread the number of visitors more evenly during the week.
Important monuments
Few of Dubrovnik's Renaissance buildings survived the earthquake of 1667 but 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. The Rector's Palace is a Gothic-Renaissance structure that displays finely carved capitals and an ornate staircase. It now houses a museum. Its façade is depicted on the Obverse and reverse, reverse of the Croatian 50 Croatian kuna, kuna banknote, issued in 1993 and 2002.
The St. Saviour Church, Dubrovnik, St. Saviour Church is another remnant of the Renaissance period, next to the much-visited Franciscan Church and Monastery (Dubrovnik), Franciscan Church and Monastery.
The Franciscan monastery's library possesses 30,000 volumes, 216 incunabula, 1,500 valuable handwritten documents. Exhibits include a 15th-century silver-gilt cross and silver thurible, and an 18th-century crucifix from Jerusalem, a martyrology (1541) by Bemardin Gucetic and illuminated psalters.
[
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 Dubrovnik Cathedral, 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. A special treasure of the Dominican monastery is its library with 216 incunable, incunabula, numerous illustrated manuscripts, a rich archive with precious manuscripts and documents and an extensive art collection.
The Neapolitan architect and engineer Onofrio della Cava completed the aqueduct with two public fountains, both built in 1438. Close to the Pile Gate stands the Big Onofrio's Fountain in the middle of a small square. It may have been inspired by the former Romanesque baptistry of the former cathedral in Bunić Square. The sculptural elements were lost in the earthquake of 1667. Water jets gush out of the mouth of the sixteen Mascaron (architecture), mascarons. The Little Onofrio's Fountain stands at the eastern side of the Placa, supplying water to the market place in the Luža Square. The sculptures were made by the Milanese artist Pietro di Martino (who also sculpted the ornaments in the Rector's Palace and made a statue – now lost – for the Franciscan church).
The Dubrovnik Bell Tower, built in 1444, is one of the symbols of the free city state of Ragusa. It was built by the local architects Grubačević, Utišenović and Radončić. It was rebuilt in 1929 as it had lost its stability through an earthquake and was in danger of falling. The brass face of the clock shows the phases of the moon. Two human figures strike the bell every hour. The tower stands next to the House of the Main Guard, also built in Gothic style. It was the residence of the admiral, commander-in-chief of the army. The Baroque portal was built between 1706 and 1708 by the Venetian architect Marino Gropelli (who also built St Blaise's church).
In 1418, the Republic of Ragusa, as Dubrovnik was then named, erected a statue of Roland (Ital. Orlando) as a symbol of loyalty to Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund of Luxembourg (1368–1437), King of Hungary and Croatia (as of 1387), Prince-Elector of Brandenburg (between 1378 and 1388 and again between 1411 and 1415), German King (as of 1411), King of Bohemia (as of 1419) and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (as of 1433), who helped by a successful war alliance against Venice to retain Ragusa's independence. It stands in the middle of Luža Square. Roland statues were typical symbols of city autonomy or independence, often erected under Sigismund in his Electorate of Brandenburg. In 1419 the sculptor Bonino of Milano, with the help of local craftsmen, replaced the first Roland with the present Gothic statue. Its forearm was for a long time the unit of measure in Dubrovnik: one ell of Dubrovnik is equal to .
File:Saint Blaise's Church, Dubrovnik - September 2017.jpg, Saint Blaise's Church
File:Saint Ignatius Church, Dubrovnik - September 2017.jpg, Saint Ignatius Church, part of former Jesuit ''Collegium Ragusinum''
File:Cathedral of the Assumption, Dubrovnik 05.jpg, Cathedral of the Assumption
File:Franciscan Monastery in Dubrovnik 01.jpg, The Franciscan Monastery
File:Main street-Dubrovnik-2.jpg, Stradun (street), Stradun, Dubrovnik's main street
File:Clock Tower of Dubrovnik 01.jpg, The Clock tower
]
Walls of Dubrovnik
A feature of Dubrovnik is its walls (1.3 million visitors in 2018), which run almost around the city. The walls are 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''.
Demographics
The total population of the city is 42,615 (census 2011), in the following naselje, settlements:
* Bosanka, population 139
* Brsečine, population 96
* Čajkovica, population 160
* Čajkovići, population 26
* Donje Obuljeno, population 210
* Dubravica, Dubrovnik, Dubravica, population 37
* Dubrovnik, population 28,434
* Gornje Obuljeno, population 124
* Gromača, population 146
* Kliševo, population 54
* Knežica, Croatia, Knežica, population 133
* Koločep, population 163
* Komolac, population 320
* Lopud, population 249
* Lozica, Croatia, Lozica, population 146
* Ljubač, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Ljubač, population 69
* Mokošica, population 1,924
* Mravinjac, Croatia, Mravinjac, population 88
* Mrčevo, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Mrčevo, population 90
* Mokošica, Nova Mokošica, population 6,016
* Orašac, Croatia, Orašac, population 631
* Osojnik, Croatia, Osojnik, population 301
* Petrovo Selo (Dubrovnik), Petrovo Selo, population 23
* Pobrežje, Croatia, Pobrežje, population 118
* Prijevor, Dubrovnik, Prijevor, population 453
* Rožat, population 340
* Suđurađ, population 207
* Sustjepan, population 323
* Šipanska Luka, population 211
* Šumet, population 176
* Trsteno, population 222
* Zaton, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Zaton, population 985
The population was 42,615 in 2011, down from 49,728 in 1991 In the 2011 census, 90.34% of the population identified as Croats, Croat.
Transport
Dubrovnik has its own Dubrovnik Airport, international airport, located approximately southeast of Dubrovnik city centre, near Čilipi. Buses connect the airport with the Dubrovnik old main bus station in Gruž. In addition, a network of modern, local buses connects all Dubrovnik neighbourhoods running frequently from dawn to midnight. However, Dubrovnik, unlike Croatia's other major centres, is not accessible by rail; until 1975 Dubrovnik was Croatian Railways#Dubrovnik and Ploče, connected to Mostar and Sarajevo by a narrow gauge railway (760 mm) built during the Bosnia and Herzegovina (Austro-Hungarian condominium), Austro-Hungarian rule of Bosnia.
The A1 (Croatia), A1 highway, in use between Zagreb and Ploče, is planned to be extended all the way to Dubrovnik. Because the area around the city is disconnected from the rest of Croatian territory, the highway will either cross the Pelješac Bridge whose construction is in preparation as of 2018, or run through Neum in Bosnia and Herzegovina and continue to Dubrovnik.
Education
Dubrovnik has a number of higher educational institutions. These include the University of Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik International University, Libertas University (Dubrovnik International University), Rochester Institute of Technology Croatia (former American College of Management and Technology), a University Centre for Postgraduate Studies of the University of Zagreb, and an Institute of History of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Sports
The city will host the 2025 World Men's Handball Championship at the new arena, along with the countries Denmark and Norway.
Panoramas
Notable people
* Franco Sacchetti (Ragusa, 1332 – San Miniato, 1400), poet and novelist
* Benedetto Cotrugli (Ragusa, 1416 – L'Aquila, 1469), humanist and economist.
* Bonino de Boninis ( Lastovo, Ragusa, 1454 – Treviso, 1528), typographist and bookseller.
* Elio Lampridio Cerva (Ragusa, 1463 – 1520), humanist, poet and lexicographer of Latin language
* Marin Držić (Ragusa, 1508 – Venice, 1567), playwright, poet and dramaturge
* Marino Ghetaldi (Ragusa, 1568 – 1626), mathematician
* Aaron ben David Cohen of Ragusa, Aaron ben David Cohen (Ragusa, ca. 1580), rabbi
* Giorgio Raguseo (Ragusa, 1580 – 1622), philosopher, theologian, and orator
* Rajmund Zamanja (Ragusa, 1587 – Ragusa, 1647), theologist, philosopher and linguist.
* Ivan Gundulić (Ragusa, 1589 – 1638), writer and poet
* Anselmo Banduri (Ragusa, 1671 – Paris, 1743), numismatist and antiquarian
* Ruđer Josip Bošković (Dubrovnik, 1711 – Milan, 1787) physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, diplomat, poet, theologian
* Mato Vodopić (Dubrovnik, 1816), Roman Catholic Diocese of Dubrovnik, bishop of Dubrovnik
* Matija Ban (Dubrovnik, 1818), poet, dramatist, and playwright
* Medo Pucić (Dubrovnik, 1821), writer and politician
* Konstantin Vojnović (Dubrovnik, 1832), politician, university professor and rector in the Kingdom of Dalmatia
The Kingdom of Dalmatia ( hr, Kraljevina Dalmacija; german: Königreich Dalmatien; it, Regno di Dalmazia) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entire ...
and Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia of the Habsburg monarchy
* city of Ragusa (ship), Nicola Primorac (Dubrovnik, 1840), tobacconist, who together with a sailor and a ship's steward sailed the tiny yawl ''City of Ragusa (ship), City of Ragusa'' twice across the Atlantic in 1870 and 1871
* Ivo Vojnović (Dubrovnik, 1857), writer
* Tereza Kesovija (Dubrovnik, 1938), pop-classical-chanson singer
* Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak (Dubrovnik, 1940), pianist
* Milo Hrnić (Dubrovnik, 1950), pop singer
* Andro Knego (Dubrovnik, 1956), basketball player, Olympic and World champion
* Banu Alkan (Dubrovnik, 1958), female actor
* Dragan Andrić (water polo), Dragan Andrić (Dubrovnik, 1962), water polo player, two-time Olympic champion
* Mario Kopić (Dubrovnik, 1965), philosopher
* Nikola Prkačin (Dubrovnik, 1975), basketball player
* Vlado Georgiev (Dubrovnik, 1976), pop singer, composer, and songwriter
* Frano Vićan (Dubrovnik, 1976), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion
* Emir Spahić (Dubrovnik, 1980), football player
* Miho Bošković (Dubrovnik, 1983), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion
* Nikša Dobud (Dubrovnik, 1985), water polo player, Olympic and World champion
* Lukša Andrić (Dubrovnik, 1985), basketball player
* Hrvoje Perić (Dubrovnik, 1985), basketball player
* Andro Bušlje (Dubrovnik, 1986), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion
* Paulo Obradović (Dubrovnik, 1986), water polo player, Olympic and World champion
* Maro Joković (Dubrovnik, 1987), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion
* Ante Tomić (basketball), Ante Tomić (Dubrovnik, 1987), basketball player
* Andrija Prlainović (Dubrovnik, 1987), water polo player, Olympic, World and European champion
* Sandro Sukno (Dubrovnik, 1990), water polo player, Olympic and World champion
* Elvis Sarić (Dubrovnik, 1990), football player
* Mario Hezonja (Dubrovnik, 1995), basketball player
* Alen Halilović (Dubrovnik, 1996), football player
* Ana Konjuh (Dubrovnik, 1997), tennis player
Twin towns - sister cities
Dubrovnik is twin towns and sister cities, twinned with:
* Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany
* Beyoğlu, Turkey
* Graz, Austria
* Helsingborg Municipality, Helsingborg, Sweden
* Monterey, California, Monterey, United States
* Ragusa, Italy, Ragusa, Italy
* Ravenna, Italy
* Rueil-Malmaison, France
* Sanya, China
* Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
, Italy
* Vukovar, Croatia
In popular culture
Roger Corman's 1964 war thriller ''The Secret Invasion'' is set in Dubrovnik and was filmed on location there. Although the story is fiction the fighting between Italian and German troops depicted at the end is based on fact.
The HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' used Dubrovnik as a filming location, representing the cities of King's Landing (A Song of Ice and Fire), King's Landing and Qarth.
Parts of ''Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' were filmed in Dubrovnik in March 2016, in which Dubrovnik was used as the setting for the casino city of List of Star Wars planets and moons#Cantonica, Canto Bight.
Dubrovnik was one of the European sites used in the Bollywood movie ''Fan (film), Fan'' (2016), starring Shah Rukh Khan.
In early 2017, ''Robin Hood (2018 film), Robin Hood'' was filmed on locations in Dubrovnik.
In Kander and Ebb's song "Ring Them Bells," the protagonist, Shirley Devore, goes to Dubrovnik to look for a husband and meets her neighbor from New York.
The text-based video game ''Quarantine Circular'' is set aboard a ship off the coast of Dubrovnik, and a few references to the city are made throughout the course of the game.
The Dubrovniks were an Australian Independent rock band formed in 1987. Often regarded as a 'Supergroup' due to the band members having played in various established bands such as Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and The Scientists. The band chose their name due to two members of the band Roddy Radalj (guitar vocals) and Boris Sujdovik (bass) being born in Dubrovnik.
See also
* Dalmatia
* Dubrovnik chess set
* List of people from Dubrovnik
* Republic of Ragusa
hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world"
, population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century
, currency = ...
* Tourism in Croatia
* Walls of Dubrovnik
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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External links
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UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Old City of Dubrovnik
Encyclopædia Britannica.com: Dubrovnik
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Youtube.com: Dubrovnik — digital video reconstruction
— ''by GRAIL at Washington University''.
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{{Authority control
Dubrovnik,
Cities and towns in Croatia
Capitals of former nations
Dalmatia
Mediterranean port cities and towns in Croatia
Populated coastal places in Croatia
Illyrian Croatia
Populated places in Dubrovnik-Neretva County
Fortified settlements
Kingdom of Dalmatia
Populated places established in the 7th century
7th-century establishments in Europe
World Heritage Sites in Danger
World Heritage Sites in Croatia
Ports and harbours of Croatia
Territories of the Republic of Venice