Looking down on to the red-tiled roofs of the Old Town of Dubrovnik
as it nestles quietly alongside the cool waters of the Mediterranean, it
is hard to credit that its history is steeped in political intrigue,
war and destruction. But appearances_are deceptive, and Dubrovnik has a
more violent and colourful past than most cities in Europe. For most of
its long history Dubrovnik was an independent city state. It ccame under
the protection of Venice in the 13th century, and Hungary some 150
years later. The city preserved its independence by careful diplomacy
and payment of tributes. Under these conditions it grew into a wealthy
democracy with a wide network of trading outposts. As the importance of
the city increased many civil construction projects, such as the city
walls, were undertaken, and Dubrovnik proved attractive to writers and
artists.
Although the sovereignty of Dubrovnik passed to the Ottoman Empire in
the 16th century the city continued to flourish until it was all but
destroyed by an earthquake in 1667. It was rebuilt in 1683, but the
shifting trade allegiances and wars that rocked Europe during the 18th
century weakened its power. The final death blow came in 1808, when
Napoleon formally abolished Dubrovnik's tenuous independence, prompting a
bombardment by British forces. The city languished through subsequent
wars and European politicking until it once again shot to prominence
during the 1990s Balkans War, following the break-up of Yugoslavia.
During a siege which lasted seven months, before finally being lifted in
May 1992, over 2000 shells slammed into the city.
Despite past violence and destruction, Dubrovnik is still a beautiful
city. Indeed, the depredations of the siege have been repaired so
successfully (with financial assistance from UNESCO) that visitors could
be forgiven for thinking that war had never touched it. The best way to
get orientated in Dubrovnik is to walk around the towering and
immensely thick 13th-century walls that surround the Old Town. At the
highest point of the walls on the landward side of the city is the
distinctive Minceta Tower, which has the best panoramic views of the
city, Lokrum Island near the harbour mouth and the Mediterranean beyond.
The battlements at the top of the tower give great views down into the
narrow streets and courtyards. Church domes and spires reach above the
expanses of red-tiled roofs, and at sunset golden light skims these roof
tops and casts the skyline into relief against the surrounding
landscape.
The main thoroughfare, the Stradun, divides the city into two halves
and extends over 200 metres, from the Pile Gate in the west to the clock
tower at the harbour entrance. Once a marsh that separated the Roman
and Slavic halves of the city, the Stradun is now paved with stones
polished by years of pedestrian traffic, and lined with shops. As you
wander the narrow streets away from the Stradun, you get a sense of the
tightly knit community.
The houses in the Old Town are small and close together, with laundry
strung between them, children play in the streets, and neighbours sit
on front steps or lean from windows chatting and watching the world go
by. Positioned in the middle of some of the most beautiful coastline in
Europe, Dubrovnik is the perfect place to while away a few days.
Although it lacks the grandeur of Venice, and the power and inluence it
enjoyed in the 15th and 16th centuries has long since passed away, this
small and modest city has a beguiling charm of its own.
