Croatian cultural heritage - Business - Hrvatska turistička zajednica

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Franciscan Monastery has a collection of old pharmaceutical
equipment, and the Dominican Convent has a rich
collection of paintings (20) and a nicely decorated garden
(28). Among the religious buildings of other religions is a
synagogue from the 15th century (25), the second oldest in
Europe by virtue of its continued use.
Dubrovnik is well known for its museums, which are annualy
visited by close to half a million visitors. After the
Rector's Palace, the second most visited is the Maritime
Museum, where you can learn about the maritime history
of Dubrovnik from the Middle Ages to the 20th century (12
& 13).
The surrounding area of Dubrovnik doesn’t have many
monumental buildings, but is characterised by the harmony
of architecture embedded in the green environment. This is
especially evident in the southernmost corner of Croatia, in
the fertile valley of KONAVLE.
Konavle comes to the fore with its preservation of beautiful
folk costumes (39) and the preserved building heritage,
such as Konavoski Dvori at the source of the river Ljuta (34).
The Konavle ethnographic treasures are kept in the Ethnographic
Museum in Čilipi (37). The southernmost part of
Konavle and the Croatian mainland on the Prevlaka Peninsula
is known for its strategic significance; it controls entry
into the Bay of Kotor in the neighbouring Montenegro, and
is still today prevailed by a monumental fortress (33).
The main settlement of Konavle is the picturesque village of
Cavtat (32), birthplace of the great Croatian painter Vlaho
Bukovac. His birth house was converted into a gallery (40)
of his paintings (38). Another valuable site in Cavtat is the
Račić family mausoleum from 1921 (35), the work of the
Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović (36).
The west of Dubrovnik offers the Dubrovnik coastline, famous
for its noble summer residences surrounded by greenery.
On one of these residences, in the picturesque village
of Trsten (42), is the most beautiful Croatian arboretum,
where on a small surface are a variety of subtropical species
of plants, flowers and trees. The whole arboretum Trsteno
is arranged as a landscape park decorated with sculptures,
of which the most famous is the statue of the Greek god
Poseidon, in front of the picturesque fountain (45). The arboretum
boasts nicely decorated rest areas from which you
can enjoy the view of the open sea (49).
Further down to the west stretches the naturally most special
part of the Dubrovnik region, THE NERETVA RIVER
DELTA, with preserved wetland landscapes and picturesque
places along the river, among which the town of Opuzen
stands out with its exeptional beauty (46). Near the largest
town of the Neretva river delta, Metković, there is a village
called Vid at the site of the former ancient Narona. Here, at
the original location of the site stands a museum that was
built over a part of the Roman Forum, or Augusteum, with a
number of carved marble imperial statues (43 & 44).
Starting from the coast of Dubrovnik and moving towards
the island of Korčula, we pass through the mountainous
winegrowing peninsula of PELJEŠAC. The old centre of the
peninsula is the scenic town of Ston, located on the isthmus
that connects the peninsula with the mainland. Between
Ston and the neighbouring Mali Ston, famous for the cultivation
of oyster shells, are impressive walls (41).
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