When you are in Dubrovnik you will be immediately aware that the Old Town is one big monument. This magnificent town just takes your breath away with its beauty and the sense of history in every building, street and corner. The monuments in Dubrovnik are like a string of pearls, both in the physical presence of the buildings and in the less tangible effects of culture and of the stories that have been lived here. The particular value of Dubrovnik was recognized by UNESCO thirty years ago, while the Festival of St Blaise joined the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in October 2009. During the golden age of the Republic, which lasted about four centuries until the arrival of the French in 1808, Dubrovnik, regulated by its statute, was remarkable for its development and sophistication.
The Republic did not erect monuments to its contemporaries. The seaman Miho Pracat is the only individual who was given this great honour, while the figure which one sees most often, watching over the town from many positions on the walls, St Blaise holding in his hand a model of the City. So this City, within the protective embrace of its walls, stands today as a monument to a rich historical legacy waiting to be explored once more when you pass through its gates.
Dubrovnik Cathedral
City Walls
St. John’s Fortress
Minceta Fortress
Sponza Palace
Fortress Lovrijenac
Stradun
Orlando’s Column
Photos by: Roman Bonnefoy, Dario Bandur
