Dubrovnik Old Town

About Dubrovnik old town

Jutting out into the Adriatic Sea with a backdrop of rugged limestone mountains, Dubrovnik Old Town is known as one of the world’s finest and most perfectly preserved medieval cities in the world. For centuries, Dubrovnik rivalled Venice as a trading port, with its huge sturdy stone walls, built between the 11th and 17th centuries, affording protection to this former city-state. Today, these walls still enclose Dubrovnik’s historic centre and it is possible to walk along them to enjoy the best views of the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’ and the surrounding lush green islands. Dubrovnik’s Baroque churches, monasteries and palaces; its Renaissance fountains and facades, are all intertwined with gleaming wide marble-paved squares, steep cobbled streets and houses, all of which have also remained unchanged for centuries.

The remarkable preservation of the neatly contained Dubrovnik centre, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the result of meticulous reconstruction after the earthquake of 1667. Much renovation was also done to return the city to its former splendour after it was attacked during the civil war of the early 1990s. Today, all new building work is strictly controlled, right down to the shade of green used on the shutters of the buildings in the main street, the ‘Stradun’.

Although Dubrovnik has much to offer in terms of historical sightseeing, part of its allure lies in the fact that it is still a lived-in city, vibrant and bustling with locals whose homes line the narrow streets and sunlit squares. As well as visiting the churches, palaces and museums, the visitor can also enjoy markets, bazaars, cafes, bars and restaurants. In the summer, there is also a choice of a few nightclubs and discos and of course the famous Dubrovnik Summer Festival in July and August, which includes cultural events such as outdoor concerts, opera and ballet. There is also a variety of sporting activities in the area, such as volleyball, tennis, cycling and a range of water-sports.

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More articles about Dubrovnik Old Town

• Panoramic Photo of Dubrovnik Old Town
• Old Town Walls : towers / forts: Lovrjenac, Bokar, Minceta, Revelin, Sveti Ivan, Clock / Bell Tower
• Porporela – a pier in Dubrovnik’s Old Harbour
• Map of Dubrovnik Old Town + one of the oldest images o Dubrovnik
• History of the Old Town – Dubrovnik’s history witnesses the changing fortune of a borderland Mediterranean city state that for centuries lived in harmony with its surroundings. Originally called Ragusa, the city was founded in the 7^th century as a refuge for coastal residents fleeing the advancing barbarians.. read more
• Dubrovnik Sights:
• palaces: Palace Knezev Dvor, Palace Sponza
• churches: Church Sveti Vlaho (St Blaise)
• monasteries: Dominican monastery, Franciscan Monastery (The Cloister)
• squares :  Stradun / Placa , Luža Square , Gunduliceva poljana/ Gundulic Square
• other buildings: Onofrijeva Cesma, Orlandov Stup
• Dubrovnik’s theatre  – established in 19^th century, it is from the old times the last remaining theatre in the town. Its  building is located in the very centre of the Old Town right next to the Knezev Dvor …read more
• Dubrovnik’s Old Harbour
• Dubrovnik Old Town panorama
• Dubrovnik Old Town viewed from aeroplane

Check also a short introduction to Dubrovnik article