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It’s easy to understand why the people of Dubrovnik are proud
of their city – it just takes one look. It takes a little more effort,
however, to understand how deeply this pride runs, and how
many, how varied and how rich and justified are the reasons
for this pride. And, thank goodness, it manifests itself in a
way that is very easy to love: the people of Dubrovnik are
known for their gallantry and hospitality. It’s not an empty
or boastful pride.
Why does the city look the way it does? Why all those walls
and bastions? It was first of all a refugee colony for the people
of Epidaurum (today’s Cavtat), who fled from invading Avar
and Slav tribes. At that time the land south of Stradun, as the
main thoroughfare through the Old Town is popularly called,
was an island, offering some protection from attack, but,
of course, the walls began to rise giving those first fearful
citizens their shelter.
That was in the 7th century. At that time, these lands were
under the protection of Byzantium. Following the Crusades,
Venice took over, and then the Croatian-Hungarian kingdom.
But in the 14th century, by the force of skilled diplomacy, the
nobles of Dubrovnik bargained their freedom, and this became
a city-state which flourished for four centuries, maintaining
independence from feared invaders such as the Turks, and,
indeed, cultivating profitable relations with them.
The skill of the people of Dubrovnik in trade and in many other
areas led to this tiny city state, then known as the Republic of
Ragusa, becoming such a powerful force in the Adriatic that
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it seriously rivalled Venice’s dominance in the region. And
during the heyday of the city’s development, art and culture
flourished, leading to a love for harmony in one’s surroundings,
a love of music, and a love of literature which much shaped
the language of Croatian that we can hear today.
This love of beauty is visible with every step in the Old Town,
this living museum and famous World Heritage site. It can
be seen in the galleries, on the theatre stages, and in its
annual culmination at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, in 2010
held for the 61st time. It can also be heard – this is a city of
music too, of classical music, but also taking care of the folk
vernacular of the coast and hinterland.
Beauty is only skin deep, and this will to harmonise also
manifested itself in a rather liberal political system which, for
example, abolished slavery at a very early stage (1418). And
alongside this respect for humanitarian concerns naturally
came, the love of freedom. That’s why you’ll so often see
the word “Libertas” emblazoned on everything from flags to
the sides of buses.
It’s hard to believe that this miraculous freedom of the tiny
Republic of Ragusa, and this economic and political might
lasted all the way to the beginning of the 19th century when
the Dubrovnik nobles were tricked by Napoleon to letting his
armies into the city in 1806. So it’s no surprise that the sense
of individuality and collective pride is still so strong. It results,
happily for visitors, in a very unique, visible and well-preserved
culture that’s a joy to uncover.
Winter 2011/2012
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