Dubrovnik and Dalmacija travel guide
traveling to Dubrovnik and looking for bars, restaurants, history and best things to do in Dalmatia and Dubrovnik traveling to Dubrovnik and looking for bars, restaurants, history and best things to do in Dalmatia and Dubrovnik
Stradun, Dubrovnik The sweeping Stradun, also known as the Placa, is Dubrovnik’s main thoroughfare, cutting a pedestrianized swathe right through the Old City. Formed when the narrow channel that separated the Slavic settlement of Dubrovnik on the mainland from the Roman settlement on the island of Raus was filled in during the 12th century, it has survived the disastrous earthquake of 1667 and Serb shelling during the Siege of Dubrovnik from 1991 to 1992. Today this smooth limestone walkway, with its melée of attractive shops, cafés, bars and restaurants, buzzes with visitors throughout the summer months. Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Coast Sponza Palace The Café Festival, housed in one of the Stradun’s graceful stone houses, is the place to be and be seen on the Stradun. During the Dubrovnik Festival, you will have to be quick to snare one of the coveted outside tables. Even if you have seen the Stradun by day, you should also return at night, when floodlighting gives the thoroughfare a more romantic ambience. Top 10 Sights Shutters and Lamps Café Culture Onofrio’s Large Fountain Church of St Saviour Franciscan Monastery Orlando’s Column Clocktower Sponza Palace Onofrio’s Little Fountain Church of St Blaise Shutters and Lamps For a wonderfully controlled piece of town planning, look at the window shutters and the lamps along the Stradun (right). They are all painted the same shade of green, giving a cohesiveness not often found in European cities these days. 10 • Church of St Saviour: Map H4. Open 9am– 4pm daily • Franciscan Monastery: Map H4. Open 9am– 6pm daily. Adm charge 15kn (children 7.50kn); discount for groups • Church of St Blaise: Map J5. Open 8am–8pm daily. Free • Museum to the Dubrovnik Defenders: Sponza Palace. 020 321 032. Map J5. Open 8am–2pm daily. Free Café Culture Join the locals for a drink and watch the world go by (above). Many Stradun cafés fling tables out at the first flash of sunshine, but getting a seat can be an ordeal at the height of summer. Stradun Onofrio’s Large Fountain Damaged in the Siege of 1991–2, this 15th-century fountain (below) has been restored. Once, travellers would stop here to wash in its gushing waters.
Church of St Saviour The staid Renaissance façade does little to hint at the colour inside. Here regular concerts (above) and art exhibitions, often with work by modern Dalmatian artists, are held. Onofrio’s Little Fountain Tucked into a building by the Rector’s Palace, this “little sister” to the large Onofrio fountain often goes unnoticed. It dates from the 15th century. Church of St Blaise This church (right) sits at the top of the Stradun. Inside, Dubrovnik’s patron saint, St Blaise, cradles a model of the city showing what it looked like before the earthquake of 1667. Franciscan Monastery The dark cloisters and lush vegetation of this 14th-century monastery conjure up echoes of the Dubrovnik of old, as do the fascinating exhibits of the Monastery Museum. Arrive early to avoid the crowds (see pp12–13). Clocktower A striking timepiece (right), this clocktower dates from the 15th century. Overhauled in 1929, the duo of bell strikers visible today are copies. The originals are in the Sponza Palace. Sponza Palace The inscription “We are forbidden to cheat and use false measures, and when I weigh goods, God weighs me”, reveals this early-16th-century palace’s former role as the city’s customs house and mint. Today it is home to the State Archives and the Museum to the Dubrovnik Defenders. Orlando’s Column Mystery surrounds the statue (left) that guards the spot where the Stradun unfurls into Luža Square. Some locals claim that this legendary knight saved the city from disaster when he fought off menacing pirates in the 8th century. Earthquake of 1667 The earthquake of 1667 tore the heart out of Gothic and Renaissance Dubrovnik, killing 5,000 of its citizens and reducing many of its key buildings to rubble. This terrible tragedy paved the way for the construction of one of the most impressive Baroque cities in Europe. Carefully planned to sit within the protective confines of the sturdy city walls, it resisted all intruders until the arrival of Napoleonic troops in the early 19th century. Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Coast For Dubrovnik’s best cafés See p65 11
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- Page 4 and 5: Contents Left Excursion boat, Cavta
- Page 7 and 8: dubrovnik & The dalmaTian coasT Hig
- Page 9 and 10: Trogir Set on its own island, this
- Page 11: Rooftops The legacy of the 1991-92
- Page 15 and 16: Left Dubrovnik Painting Middle Ston
- Page 17 and 18: Statues of St Blaise The sculpture
- Page 19 and 20: Bishop’s Palace To the south of
- Page 21 and 22: Church of St John the Baptist This
- Page 23 and 24: Visovac Monastery Founded by Franc
- Page 25 and 26: Belltower The belltower, which soar
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- Page 29 and 30: Kornat The largest island in the Na
- Page 31 and 32: Gothic Portal The sculptures of va
- Page 33: Narodni Trg This busy square (abov
- Page 37 and 38: 1808: Napoleon Annexes Republic of
- Page 39 and 40: ibenik above, a rambling fort watch
- Page 41 and 42: pops up throughout the city, but no
- Page 43 and 44: Hermitage of Blaca, Bra This 16th-
- Page 45 and 46: fire in 1995. There are plenty of l
- Page 47 and 48: Tennis National heroes Goran Ivani
- Page 49 and 50: (see pp16-17, 95) and Lastovo (see
- Page 51 and 52: Taverna Rustica, Dubrovnik Part of
- Page 53 and 54: authentic, buy intricate handwoven
- Page 55 and 56: Resort Hotels The swimming pools,
- Page 57: Split Summer Festival Opera, balle
- Page 60 and 61: Around Dubrovnik Left Old Harbour R
Stradun, <strong>Dubrovnik</strong><br />
The sweeping Stradun, also known as the Placa, is <strong>Dubrovnik</strong>’s main<br />
thoroughfare, cutting a pedestrianized swathe right through the Old City.<br />
Formed when the narrow channel that separated the Slavic settlement of<br />
<strong>Dubrovnik</strong> on the mainl<strong>and</strong> from the Roman settlement on the isl<strong>and</strong> of Raus<br />
was filled in during the 12th century, it has survived the disastrous earthquake<br />
of 1667 <strong>and</strong> Serb shelling during the Siege of <strong>Dubrovnik</strong> from 1991 to 1992.<br />
Today this smooth limestone walkway, with its melée of attractive shops, cafés,<br />
bars <strong>and</strong> restaurants, buzzes with visitors throughout the summer months.<br />
<strong>Dubrovnik</strong> & the Dalmatian Coast<br />
Sponza Palace<br />
The Café Festival,<br />
housed in one of the<br />
Stradun’s graceful<br />
stone houses, is the<br />
place to be <strong>and</strong> be<br />
seen on the Stradun.<br />
During the <strong>Dubrovnik</strong><br />
Festival, you will have<br />
to be quick to snare<br />
one of the coveted<br />
outside tables.<br />
Even if you have<br />
seen the Stradun by<br />
day, you should also<br />
return at night, when<br />
floodlighting gives<br />
the thoroughfare a<br />
more romantic<br />
ambience.<br />
Top 10 Sights<br />
Shutters <strong>and</strong> Lamps<br />
Café Culture<br />
Onofrio’s Large Fountain<br />
Church of St Saviour<br />
Franciscan Monastery<br />
Orl<strong>and</strong>o’s Column<br />
Clocktower<br />
Sponza Palace<br />
Onofrio’s Little Fountain<br />
Church of St Blaise<br />
Shutters <strong>and</strong> Lamps<br />
For a wonderfully<br />
controlled piece of town<br />
planning, look at the<br />
window shutters <strong>and</strong> the<br />
lamps along the Stradun<br />
(right). They are all painted<br />
the same shade of green,<br />
giving a cohesiveness not<br />
often found in European<br />
cities these days.<br />
10<br />
• Church of St Saviour:<br />
Map H4. Open 9am–<br />
4pm daily<br />
• Franciscan Monastery:<br />
Map H4. Open 9am–<br />
6pm daily. Adm charge<br />
15kn (children 7.50kn);<br />
discount for groups<br />
• Church of St Blaise:<br />
Map J5. Open 8am–8pm<br />
daily. Free<br />
• Museum to the<br />
<strong>Dubrovnik</strong> Defenders:<br />
Sponza Palace. 020 321<br />
032. Map J5. Open<br />
8am–2pm daily. Free<br />
Café Culture<br />
Join the locals for a drink<br />
<strong>and</strong> watch the world go by<br />
(above). Many Stradun cafés<br />
fling tables out at the first<br />
flash of sunshine, but getting<br />
a seat can be an ordeal at<br />
the height of summer.<br />
Stradun<br />
Onofrio’s Large<br />
Fountain<br />
Damaged in the Siege of<br />
1991–2, this 15th-century<br />
fountain (below) has been<br />
restored. Once, <strong>travel</strong>lers<br />
would stop here to wash<br />
in its gushing waters.
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