Dubrovnik 2019 - Stephen H Forsey Photography

Dubrovnik

The ancient walled town of old Dubrovnik is framed by the deep blue waters of the Adriatic Sea to the south and mountain ranges to the north. It is situated on a dramatic stretch of coastline with ports wedged into its bays and tiny islands just a short ferry ride from the old town.

Dubrovnik was an independent merchant republic for 700 years. The town was hit by a significant earthquake in 1667, which killed around 5,000 inhabitants and destroyed much of the city and infra structure, although the city walls remained standing. The town never fully recovered and it wasn’t until 1806 when Napoleon entered the town and met little resistance that by 1808 after Napoleon’s fall, Dubrovnik became part of the Austro Hungarian Empire in 1815.

It wasn’t until after World War 1 that the town became part of Croatia and just after World war 11 became part of Yugoslavia.

IN 1991/1992 Dubrovnik was caught up in a civil war and had to withstand considerable shelling by the Serbs in a siege that lasted over seven months. The old town inside the city walls suffered much damage, though today, other than the ‘new’ bright red roofs of the buildings the town has been restored to its former beauty.

Dubrovnik is packed with lovely sights, such as the Rector’s Palace and the Franciscan Monastery, the ‘main’ street called the Stradun is full of character and charm, as are the narrow side streets, lined with Renaissance town houses and small restaurants.

Today the town is busy, vibrant and buzzing and a very popular resort for the traveller. We visited in June 2019 and noted on our arrival at least four cruise liners berthed in the terminal. There are lots of small restaurants and bistros to cater for every ones tastes and needs. A walk around the city walls is a must as is dining in the Arsenal and Panorama restaurants.

Lots of eastern European visitors were following the ‘Game of Thrones’ trail, which was partially filmed inside the city walls and the small island of Lokrum just off the coast of the old town.

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The City Walls

Dubrovnik's city walls, upto 6m thick and 22m high are a remarkable sight surrounding the Old Town. They helped protect one of Europe's most perfectly preserved medieval cities, as well as safeguarding the independence of the city-state for centuries. Running from the steep cliffs in the north to the Adriatic in the south, they proved impenetrable to pirates and potential conquerors until he keys were handed to the French on 31st January 1808, and the Republic of Dubrovnik ended.

The history of the fortifications date back to the early Middle Ages. The whole city was enclosed with walls in the 13th century. To increase the strength of the walls 15 square forts were built during the 14th century.

We spent a very pleasant morning walking the walls on Monday morning whilst Jenny and Geri went for a little retail therapy. We climbed the stone steps onto the walls opposite St Nicholas Church, it was a stiff climb but the view from the top made it well worth it with stunning views overlooking the old harbour. They operate a one way system around the walls, walking in a anti clockwise direction, so from the Ploce Gate we headed in a north westerly direction pausing frequently to admire the views over the old city, after about twenty minutes or so we climbed an endless amount of steps to reach the Minceta Fort, the views over the roof tops were amazing. From the fort we headed southwards towards the sea, stopping at the Pile Gate to admire the views along the Stradun and Onofrio's large fountain. It was a steady climb along the walls till we reached Bokar Fort. We had a good rest here admiring the view over to Lovrijenac Fortress.

Lovrijenac Fortress stands on top of a thirty seven metre high sheer rock overlooking the sea. This detached fortress was of prime importance to maintain the western part of the town. During its service the fortress was manned by a 25 manned garrison. Reluctantly we left this view point and continued our journey around the southern section with magnificent views over the sea. The heat at this stage was quite significant, around the mid 30C's, making a steady walk somewhat unpleasant at times. By the time we reached the St John's fort and the end of the walk we were both ready for some liquid refreshment and a sit down in the shade.