Dubrovnik and Dalmacija travel guide

Statues of
St Blaise
The sculptures of St
Blaise in the museum
here afford a rare
chance to get up close
to the city’s patron
saint. Most other
renderings hang well
above head height, or
behind distant glass in
his eponymous church
(see p38).
Entrance
Key
First Floor
Ground Floor
Prison Cells
The ground floor once
served as the Republic of
Ragusa’s courtroom and
prison. The dank, gloomy
cells here hint at the
harsh treatment meted
out to inmates, who
relied on friends and
family for food and water.
Stairs
The rather ghoulish
stairs up to the first floor
are adorned with three
lifelike hands on each rail.
They were used only
once a month, by the
incoming rector at the
start of his term of office.
Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Coast
Inscription
The inscription in
Latin at the top of the
stairs would have put
any rector firmly in his
place by reminding
him of his duty to
focus, not on his
personal concerns,
but only on public and
civic matters.
Sedan Chairs
In the small room beneath
the inscription is
a collection of
18th-century
sedan chairs
(right), that
hints at the
opulence of
the city’s
nobility.
Rector’s Study
In one of the
Palace’s most elegant
and graceful rooms
(left), visitors can
watch a rather lifeless
looking dummy of the
rector (in a garish red
gown) hard at work
on affairs of state.
An Explosive
History
In addition to being the
abode of the head of
the Republic of Ragusa,
as well as the site of
the law courts and
prison, the Rector’s
Palace also once served
as a gunpowder store.
This foolishness on the
part of the authorities
unfortunately resulted
in the building being
blown sky high on
two occasions. It was
only after the second
disastrous explosion
that the city’s leaders
finally made the
decision to move their
arsenal elsewhere.
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