Cavtat (, ) is a village in the

Dubrovnik-Neretva County The Dubrovnik-Neretva County (; , ) is the southernmost county of Croatia. The county seat is Dubrovnik and other large towns are Korčula, Metković, Opuzen and Ploče. The Municipality of Neum, which belongs to neighbouring Bosnia and Herz ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. It is on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

coast south of

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

and is the centre and the main settlement of

Konavle Konavle () is a municipality and a small Dalmatian subregion located southeast of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The region is administratively part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the center of the municipality is Cavtat. Demographics The total muni ...

municipality.

History

Antiquity

The original city was founded by the

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

settlers from

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

in the 6th century BC under the name of

Epidaurus Epidaurus () was a small city (''polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: ''Palaia Epidavros'' and ''Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epi ...

(or Epidauros, ). The surrounding area was inhabited by the

Illyrians The Illyrians (, ; ) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan populations, alon ...

, who called the city Zaptal. The town changed its name to Epidaurum when it came under Roman rule in 228 BC.

Justinian I Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire sent his fleet to Cavtat during the

Gothic War (535–554) The Gothic War between the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Roman emperor, Emperor Justinian I and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy took place from 535 to 554 in the Italian peninsula, Dalmatia (theme), Dalmatia, Sardinia, Sicily, and Cors ...

and occupied the town. Cavtat3

The city was sacked and destroyed by the Avars and

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

in the 7th century. Refugees from Epidaurum fled to the nearby island, Laus (Ragusa), which over time evolved into the city of

Middle Ages

The town was re-established in the Middle Ages (). After a short while it came under the control of its powerful neighbor, the

Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...

. The modern

n name for the city reveals its ancient origins and its link with Dubrovnik. Cavtat is derived from ', which means ''old city'' in

Latin Language Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Recent

On 13 May 2021, a

waterspout A waterspout is a rotating column of air that occurs over a body of water, usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud in contact with the water and a cumuliform cloud. There are two types of waterspout, each formed by distinct mechanisms. ...

of intensity IF0 made

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

just south of Cavtat.

Economy

Today, Cavtat is a popular

tourist destination A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beau ...

with many hotels and private households that rent rooms and apartments. The seafront is filled with shops and restaurants. There are several beaches in Cavtat and its surroundings, among them Pasjača, as well as Ključice, Obod, Rat and Žal. A

ferry boat A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

connects the town to neighbouring Mlini and

. There are often many private luxury ships and yachts along the strand. It was named most popular

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

destination in Europe for 2023 by European Best Destinations.

Culture

The town cemetery on the hill contains a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

belonging to the Račić family and decorated by the sculptor

Ivan Meštrović Ivan Meštrović (; 15 August 1883 – 16 January 1962) was a Croatian and Yugoslav sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pa ...

. In year 2004 Cavtat got the title ''European Competition for Towns and Villages in Blooms'', especially for the well-tended green areas and flower arrangements on the beach promenade. The Epidaurus Festival of Music has been held annually in Cavtat since 2007.

Notable people

Vlaho Bukovac Vlaho Bukovac (; ; 4 July 1855 – 23 April 1922) was a Croatian painting, painter and academic. His life and work were eclecticism, eclectic, for the artist pursued his career in a variety of locales and his style changed greatly over the course ...

(1855–1922), painter *

Tino Pattiera Tino Pattiera (27 June 1890 – 24 April 1966) was a Dalmatian Italian Croatian tenor, born in Cavtat, near Dubrovnik. Prior to taking up the repertory for which he became famous, he was notable in operetta. Cervenka, Gottfried (18 April 2006) ...

(1890–1966), opera singer * Luko Zore (1846–1906), philologist and Slavist *

Frano Supilo Frano Supilo (30 November 1870 – 25 September 1917) was a Croatian politician and journalist. He opposed the Austro-Hungarian domination of Europe prior to World War I. He participated in the debates leading to the formation of Yugoslavia as ...

(1870–1917), politician * Baltazar Bogišić (1834–1908), jurist, law historian and ethnologist *

Niko Koprivica Niko Koprivica (7 October 1889 – 25 October 1944) was a Croatian lawyer, civic leader, and politician. He served briefly as the mayor of Dubrovnik during World War II and was executed without trial during the Daksa executions (1944), Daksa execu ...

(1889–1944), politician *

Dinko Zlatarić Dominko "Dinko" Zlatarić (1558–1613) was a Croatian poet and translator from Republic of Ragusa, considered the best translator of the Renaissance. Life Dominiko was the most famous member of the Zlatarić noble family from Dubrovnik. Din ...

(1558–1613), poet and translator * Raimondo Cunich (1719–1794), humanist * Ljudevit Vuličević (1839–1916), Serbian writer and patriot

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Cavtat is twinned with: *

Bochnia Bochnia is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland, administrative seat of Bochnia County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Watsonville Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, in the Monterey Bay Area of the Central Coast of California. The population was 52,590 at the 2020 census. Predominantly Latino and Democratic, Watsonville is a self-designated sanctua ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, USA

Gallery

File:Cavtat, Croacia, 2014-04-19, DD 02.JPG, View from the harbour File:Iglesia de San Nicolás, Cavtat, Croacia, 2014-04-19, DD 03.JPG, St Nicholas church File:Cavtat, Croacia, 2014-04-19, DD 09.JPG, Shore at Cavtat File:Cavtat, Croacia, 2014-04-19, DD 11.JPG, Harbour File:Monasterio de Nuesra Señora de la Nieve, Cavtat, Croacia, 2014-04-19, DD 06.JPG, Monastery of Our Lady of the Snow File:Cavtat, Croacia, 2014-04-19, DD 12.JPG, Town hall File:Cavtat, Croatia - panoramio - Aleksandar Topuzović.jpg, The Hotel Croatia File:Lignje na žaru - Konoba Toranj (14912816982).jpg, Fresh local cuisine

References

;Notes

External links

Cavtat Info
Villa Vidak: Cavtat Information
Cavtatportal.com
Up to date news from Cavtat and vicinity {{Authority control Populated places in Dubrovnik-Neretva County Populated coastal places in Croatia Populated places established in the 6th century BC Konavle