VISIT TO EUROPE - CROATIA - DUBROVNIK - OLD TOWN - I -STRUCTURES & MONUMENTS INSIDE THE WALLED CITY

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY
C/O COL GKS REDDY

Secunderabad - 500 015.


Visit to Croatia (Dubrovnik)

          I visited Dubrovnik located  on the South Eastern part of  Croatia, on the Adriatic Sea, on 09 and 10 May 2014 along with my younger daughter, Vinaya Reddy and son - in - law, Aditya. It was an exciting experience to go through the well maintained Old City Fortress of Dubrovnik as well as the Modern part of the City including the Harbour, where International Tourist Liners have been berthed as well as the re-created Battle Ships of Yore.

Croatia

         Croatia (i/kroʊˈeɪʃə/; Croatian: Hrvatska pronounced [xř̩ʋaːtskaː]), officially the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Republika Hrvatska listen (help·info)), is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic situated in Central Europe,with rich Mediterranean culture on its coasts. Its capital city is Zagreb, which forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, along with the twenty counties. Croatia covers 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles) and has diverse, mostly continental and Mediterranean climates. Croatia's Adriatic Sea coast contains more than a thousand islands. The country's population is 4.28 million, most of whom are Croats, with the most common religious denomination being Roman Catholicism. 

      Croatia today has a very high Human Development Index rank. The International Monetary Fund classified Croatia as an emerging and developing economy, and the World Bank identified it as a high-income economy. Croatia is a member of the European Union(EU), United Nations (UN), the Council of Europe, NATO, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean. As an active participant in the UN peacekeeping forces, Croatia has contributed troops to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan and took a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2008–2009 term. 

        The service sector dominates Croatia's economy, followed by the industrial sector and agriculture. Tourism is a significant source of revenue during the summer, with Croatia ranked the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world. The state controls a part of the economy, with substantial government expenditure. The European Union is Croatia's most important trading partner. Since 2000, the Croatian government has invested in infrastructure, especially transport routes and facilities along the Pan-European corridors. Internal sources produce a significant portion of energy in Croatia; the rest is imported. Croatia provides a universal health caresystem and free primary and secondary education, while supporting culture through numerous public institutions and through corporate investments in media and publishing. 

Dubrovnik City

          Dubrovnik (pronounced [dǔbroːʋniːk] ( listen);[2] Italian: Ragusa) is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea, in the region of Dalmatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Its total population is 42,615 (census 2011). In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. 

          The prosperity of the city of Dubrovnik was historically based on maritime trade. As the capital of the Republic of Ragusa, a maritime republic, the city achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. Dubrovnik became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy. 

        The beginning of tourism in Dubrovnik is associated with the construction of the Hotel Imperial in Dubrovnik in 1897. According to CNNGo, Dubrovnik is among the 10 best preserved medieval walled cities in the world. Although Dubrovnik was demilitarised in the 1970s to protect it from war, in 1991, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was besieged by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling. 


Dubrovnik Old Town

          The 'Pearl of the Adriatic', on the Dalmatian coast, was an important Mediterranean sea power from the 13th century onwards. Although severely damaged by an earthquake in 1667, Dubrovnik managed to preserve its beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains.

          Dubrovnik was founded in the first half of the 7th century by a group of refugees from Epidaurum, who established their settlement at the island and named it Laus. The Latin name Ragusa (Rausa), in use until the 15th century, originated from the rock (Lat. lausa = rock). Opposite that location, at the foot of Srđ Mountain, the Slavs developed their own settlement under the name of Dubrovnik, derived from the Croatian word dubrava, which means oak woods. When the channel that separated these two settlements was filled in the 12th century they were united. From the time of its establishment the town was under the protection of the Byzantine Empire; after the Fourth Crusade the city came under the sovereignty of Venice (1205-1358), and by the Treaty of Zadar in 1358 it became part of the Hungarian-Croatian Kingdom, when it was effectively a republican free state that reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries. An economic crisis in Mediterranean shipping and, more particularly, a catastrophic earthquake on April 1667 that levelled most of the public buildings, destroyed the well-being of the Republic. This powerful earthquake came as a turning point in the city's development.

          Dubrovnik is a remarkably well-preserved example of a late-medieval walled city, with a regular street layout. Among the outstanding medieval, Renaissance and Baroque monuments within the magnificent fortifications and the monumental gates to the city are the Town Hall (now the Rector's Palace), dating from the 11th century; the Franciscan Monastery (completed in the 14th century, but now largely Baroque in appearance) with its imposing church; the extensive Dominican Monastery; the cathedral (rebuilt after the 1667 earthquake); the customs house (Sponza), the eclectic appearance of which reveals the fact that it is the work of several hands over many years; and a number of other Baroque churches, such as that of St Blaise (patron saint of the city).

          The original World Heritage site consisted solely of the defences and the intra-mural city. It was later extended to include the Pile medieval industrial suburb, a planned development of the 15th century, and the Lovrijenac Fortress, located on a cliff, which was probably begun as early as the 11th century, but owes its present appearance to the 15th and 16th centuries. Also included were the Lazarets, built in the early 17th century to house potential plague-carriers from abroad, the late 15th-century Kase moles, built to protect the port against south-easterly gales, and the Revelin Fortress, dating from 1449, which was built to command the town moat on its northern side.

          The island of Lokrum lies to the south-east of Dubrovnik, some 500 m from the coast. In 1023 it became a Benedictine abbey, the first of several in the Republic of Dubrovnik. It was continually enlarged in succeeding centuries, passing to the Congregation of St Justina of Padua in the late 15th century, when a new monastery was built in Gothic-Renaissance style to the south of the ruins of the Benedictine establishment. During their occupation of the island in the early 19th century the French began work on the construction of the Fort Royal Fortress, which was completed by the Austrians in the 1830s. In 1859 Archduke Maximilian of Austria (later Emperor of Mexico) bought the island with the intention of building a villa in classical style on the ruins of the Benedictine abbey, but only a small part of this work was completed.Source: UNESCO/CLT/WHC

Historical Description

          The proposed extension to the west of the old city includes part of the Pile suburb, with the Brsalje plateau. It marks the point where a major road entered the Roman town that preceded medieval Dubrovnik, and archaeological excavations have revealed the presence there of a Palaeochristian basilica, as well as medieval cemeteries. The Lovrijenac Fortress, located on a cliff, is first mentioned in a document of 1301, but its defensive importance is such that it must have been built much earlier (as early as the 11th century according to some scholars). The fortress owes its present appearance to the 15th and 16th centuries.

          The Pile suburb was a planned development of the 15th century, around a clearly defined industrial zone dating back to the 13th century. It was devoted to tanning and leather-working, the casting of cannon, soap manufacture,etc - activities which, for reasons of hygiene and security, were placed outside the walls but within the protection of the fortress. In the early 15th century an important dyeing industry developed in the area, and this was followed by other industries, such as glass-making, bell-casting, and weaving.

          These industrial operations led to the construction of workers' houses, and the settlement had its own Church of St George, dating back to the 14th century but rebuilt in its present form in 1590. The Pile suburb has retained its original character, although some changes resulted from the building in the late 19th century of a new road linking Pile with Gruz and passing outside the ramparts of the medieval town. The area known as Iza Grada (Behind the city) lies outside the northern part of the ramparts, and has remained an open space, for defensive reasons, throughout the town I s history. The road joining Pile and Gruz marks its northern boundary.

          On the eastern side of the old city lies Ploce, which has served as the centre for trade with the hinterland for centuries. The area proposed for the extension of the World Heritage Site lies to the south of the main road and includes the Lazarets and the Revelin Fortress.

         The Kase moles were built around 1485 on the plans of paskoje Milicevic, the most famous Ragusan engineer of the Renaissance period, to protect the port against south-easterly gales while at the same time improving the facilities for controlling vessels approaching the town.

          The building of the Lazarets began in 1627 and they were completed in 1648. Their siting at the eastern entrance to the city was practical: this is where traders and travellers would approach Dubrovnik from potentially plague-ridden parts of central Europe or the Orient. They have preserved their original appearance to a remarkable degree.

          The Revelin Fortress, built to command the town moat on its northern side, dates from 1449, though its present appearance is that of the 16th century, when it was remodeled by the architect Antonio Ferramolino di Bergamo.

          The island of Lokrum lies to the south-east of Dubrovnik, some 500 m from the coast. In 1023 it became a Benedictine abbey, the first of several in the Republic of Dubrovnik. The monastic complex (and especially the Church of the Virgin Mary, destroyed by the earthquake of 1667 and not rebuilt) was continually enlarged in succeeding centuries. Following the reform of the Benedictine Order in the later 15th century, the monastery passed to the Congregation of St Justina of Padua, which was responsible for the building of a new monastery in Gothic-Renaissance style to the south of the ruins of the Benedictine establishment.

          During their occupation of the island in the early 19th century the French began work on the construction of the Fort Royal Fortress, which was completed by the Austrians in the 1830s. In 1859 Archduke Maximilian of Austria (later Emperor of Mexico) bought the island with the intention of building a villa in classical style on the ruins of the Benedictine abbey, but only a small part of this work was completed. 

Dubrovnik Old Town

          The 'Pearl of the Adriatic', on the Dalmatian coast, was an important Mediterranean sea power from the 13th century onwards. Although severely damaged by an earthquake in 1667, Dubrovnik managed to preserve its beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains.

          Dubrovnik was founded in the first half of the 7th century by a group of refugees from Epidaurum, who established their settlement at the island and named it Laus. The Latin name Ragusa (Rausa), in use until the 15th century, originated from the rock (Lat. lausa = rock). Opposite that location, at the foot of Srđ Mountain, the Slavs developed their own settlement under the name of Dubrovnik, derived from the Croatian word dubrava, which means oak woods. When the channel that separated these two settlements was filled in the 12th century they were united. From the time of its establishment the town was under the protection of the Byzantine Empire; after the Fourth Crusade the city came under the sovereignty of Venice (1205-1358), and by the Treaty of Zadar in 1358 it became part of the Hungarian-Croatian Kingdom, when it was effectively a republican free state that reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries. An economic crisis in Mediterranean shipping and, more particularly, a catastrophic earthquake on April 1667 that levelled most of the public buildings, destroyed the well-being of the Republic. This powerful earthquake came as a turning point in the city's development.

          Dubrovnik is a remarkably well-preserved example of a late-medieval walled city, with a regular street layout. Among the outstanding medieval, Renaissance and Baroque monuments within the magnificent fortifications and the monumental gates to the city are the Town Hall (now the Rector's Palace), dating from the 11th century; the Franciscan Monastery (completed in the 14th century, but now largely Baroque in appearance) with its imposing church; the extensive Dominican Monastery; the cathedral (rebuilt after the 1667 earthquake); the customs house (Sponza), the eclectic appearance of which reveals the fact that it is the work of several hands over many years; and a number of other Baroque churches, such as that of St Blaise (patron saint of the city).

          The original World Heritage site consisted solely of the defences and the intra-mural city. It was later extended to include the Pile medieval industrial suburb, a planned development of the 15th century, and the Lovrijenac Fortress, located on a cliff, which was probably begun as early as the 11th century, but owes its present appearance to the 15th and 16th centuries. Also included were the Lazarets, built in the early 17th century to house potential plague-carriers from abroad, the late 15th-century Kase moles, built to protect the port against south-easterly gales, and the Revelin Fortress, dating from 1449, which was built to command the town moat on its northern side.

         The island of Lokrum lies to the south-east of Dubrovnik, some 500 m from the coast. In 1023 it became a Benedictine abbey, the first of several in the Republic of Dubrovnik. It was continually enlarged in succeeding centuries, passing to the Congregation of St Justina of Padua in the late 15th century, when a new monastery was built in Gothic-Renaissance style to the south of the ruins of the Benedictine establishment. During their occupation of the island in the early 19th century the French began work on the construction of the Fort Royal Fortress, which was completed by the Austrians in the 1830s. In 1859 Archduke Maximilian of Austria (later Emperor of Mexico) bought the island with the intention of building a villa in classical style on the ruins of the Benedictine abbey, but only a small part of this work was completed.

Historical Description

          The proposed extension to the west of the old city includes part of the Pile suburb, with the Brsalje plateau. It marks the point where a major road entered the Roman town that preceded medieval Dubrovnik, and archaeological excavations have revealed the presence there of a Palaeochristian basilica, as well as medieval cemeteries. The Lovrijenac Fortress, located on a cliff, is first mentioned in a document of 1301, but its defensive importance is such that it must have been built much earlier (as early as the 11th century according to some scholars). The fortress owes its present appearance to the 15th and 16th centuries.

          The Pile suburb was a planned development of the 15th century, around a clearly defined industrial zone dating back to the 13th century. It was devoted to tanning and leather-working, the casting of cannon, soap manufacture,etc - activities which, for reasons of hygiene and security, were placed outside the walls but within the protection of the fortress. In the early 15th century an important dyeing industry developed in the area, and this was followed by other industries, such as glass-making, bell-casting, and weaving.

          These industrial operations led to the construction of workers' houses, and the settlement had its own Church of St George, dating back to the 14th century but rebuilt in its present form in 1590. The Pile suburb has retained its original character, although some changes resulted from the building in the late 19th century of a new road linking Pile with Gruz and passing outside the ramparts of the medieval town. The area known as Iza Grada (Behind the city) lies outside the northern part of the ramparts, and has remained an open space, for defensive reasons, throughout the town I s history. The road joining Pile and Gruz marks its northern boundary.

          On the eastern side of the old city lies Ploce, which has served as the centre for trade with the hinterland for centuries. The area proposed for the extension of the World Heritage Site lies to the south of the main road and includes the Lazarets and the Revelin Fortress.

         The Kase moles were built around 1485 on the plans of paskoje Milicevic, the most famous Ragusan engineer of the Renaissance period, to protect the port against south-easterly gales while at the same time improving the facilities for controlling vessels approaching the town.

          The building of the Lazarets began in 1627 and they were completed in 1648. Their siting at the eastern entrance to the city was practical: this is where traders and travellers would approach Dubrovnik from potentially plague-ridden parts of central Europe or the Orient. They have preserved their original appearance to a remarkable degree.

        The Revelin Fortress, built to command the town moat on its northern side, dates from 1449, though its present appearance is that of the 16th century, when it was remodeled by the architect Antonio Ferramolino di Bergamo.

          The island of Lokrum lies to the south-east of Dubrovnik, some 500 m from the coast. In 1023 it became a Benedictine abbey, the first of several in the Republic of Dubrovnik. The monastic complex (and especially the Church of the Virgin Mary, destroyed by the earthquake of 1667 and not rebuilt) was continually enlarged in succeeding centuries. Following the reform of the Benedictine Order in the later 15th century, the monastery passed to the Congregation of St Justina of Padua, which was responsible for the building of a new monastery in Gothic-Renaissance style to the south of the ruins of the Benedictine establishment.

          During their occupation of the island in the early 19th century the French began work on the construction of the Fort Royal Fortress, which was completed by the Austrians in the 1830s. In 1859 Archduke Maximilian of Austria (later Emperor of Mexico) bought the island with the intention of building a villa in classical style on the ruins of the Benedictine abbey, but only a small part of this work was completed.


The Visit

         We took off from London, early in the morning on 09 May 2014 and reached Dubrovnik by about 0930 h. After a wash and change in the Hotel, we went straight to the old town. We entered the Fort through the Pile Gate located on the western side of the town.

Pile Gate

         Pile Gate is a grand entrance into Dubrovnik’s Old Town, on its western wall. 

Built in 1537 to protect the city from invaders and monitor trade, Pile Gate was originally reached via a wooden drawbridge, which was raised every evening, the gate locked and the key handed to the prince in an elaborate ceremony.

          Pile Gate has an outer and inner gate with statues of St. Blaise, the city’s patron saint. The St. Blaise statue in the niche of the interior arch is the handiwork 20th-century Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. You’ll also find an old door here that dates back to 1460.

         As you pass over the stone bridge towards the outer gate you’ll notice a green space below. This space used to be the moat, another defence mechanism to deter those who wished to infiltrate the city.

A view of Pile Gate from across the Draw Bridge

The trees that have grown in what was previously the Moat, on the southern side of the Pile Gate and the Western Fort wall with Fort Bokar at the AW corner of the City

Another view of the Pile Gate and the Moat on the southern side

A long shot of Minceta Fort, located at the NW Corner of the 

City Fortification, from the Pile Gate

The Inner entry of the Pile Gate at the left corner, with the steps on Right

 leading to the outer entry. This area between the inner and outer entries was 

used as a killing ground by the Archers posted 80 feet above on the Inner Fort wall.

Another view of the Area between the Inner and Outer Entries of the Pile Gate

A rear view of the Inner entrance of the Pile Gate from inside the Fort

Onofrio's Large Fountain

Once we enter the pile Gate, on the right we can see a splendid polygonal fountain, called Onofrio's Large Fountain, after its architect. On the eastern end of the Stradun there is a second fountain, Onofrio's Small Fountain, carved by the sculptor Pietro di Martino in 1422 according to designs made by the engineer Onofrio de la Cavea of Neaples.

A view of the Onofrio's Large Fountain

Aerial view of Onofrio's large Fountain from the Fort wall

Church of the Holy Saviour

        On the left, when one enters the Placa from the Pile Gate, there is the beautiful Renaissance church of the Holy Saviour (Sveti Spas), about which it is said that the women of Dubrovnik, both plebeian and patrician, carried the stones for its erection and strenghtened the mortar with milk and egg whites. 

          In any case, this church withstood the earthquaqe of 1667. which destroyed over three fourths of the City, surviving it without any damage.

The Church of the Holy Saviour

Francisian Monastery

          Next to the church of the Holy Savior there is a small and narrow street through which one enters the Francisian monastery which, like the Dominican monastery, the citizens erected immediately next to the entrances to the City for defence purposes. In case an enemy managed to enter the City, then the monks would be first to defend it because they were unmarried and therefore had no wives and children to protect.

A view of the Imposing Franciscan Monastery Tower and the Monastery building 

beyond, from the Eastern end of Stradun (The Main Street of the Town)

Another view of Franciscan Monastery from the East end of Stradun

A view of the Franciscan Monastery and its tower from the 

Western Fort Wall, above the Pile Gate

A close up of the Franciscan Monastery Tower from the Fort Wall

A combined view of the Church of Holy Savior and the Franciscan Monastery

A closeup of the Entry Door to Franciscan Monastery, with beautiful Sculptures on Top

The Stradun

        The Stradun is the biggest, longest and widest street in Dubrovnik, of which its inhabitants are proud.

        The name Stradun is a pejorative augmentative used to name this really beautiful street by the jealous Venetians. Its real name is Placa, and it dates from the 13th century, but it acquired its present appearence in the late 17th and early 18th century. 

     This street, 292 metres long, is the commercial, entertainment and spiritual centre of Dubrovnik frequently celebrated in song by its ancient and modern poets.

A view of Stradun from the Pile Gate side, with the Bell 

Tower in the Far distance, in the Eastern end

A view of Stradun from the centre of the street 

with a closer image of the Bell Tower

A narrow Alley opposite Franciscan Monastery leading from 

the Stradun to the Southern Fort Wall

The Sponza Palace

          At the very end of Stradun, on its north-east side, the most splendid profane builduing, the Sponza palace, was built in the period from 1516 to 1521 as the commercial centre of medieval Dubrovnik with a mint, a Custom-House, a weights and measures office etc.

       The Sponza Palace was built according to the design of the best known Dubrovnik architect, Paskoje Miličević, and the brothers Andrijić.

       This gothic-Renassaince palace now houses the Historical Archives, one of the oldest institutions of this kind in Europe.

          The oldest document kept in the archives dates from 1022. and from 1301 to the end of the 19th century, books, records and documents which reveal the socio-economic, political and cultural conditions of the ancient Republic were stored here. 

A view of the Sponza Palace

St Blaise Church

          Opposite to the Sponza palace (Divona) there is a church dedicated to the patron saint of Dubrovnik, St. Blaise (Sv. Vlaho). It was erected in 1715 in the Venetian baroque style and is the work of the well known Italian architect Gropelli.

A  view of  St Blaise Church

The St Blaise church and the Bell Tower Left of it

A view of St Blaise Church with Orlando's Pillar in front of it

Another view of St Blaise church, with Bubrovnik Town Hall to the Left 

and the Dome of Dubrovnik Cathedral in the background

Orlando's Pillar

        Orlando's Pillar, the work of the local sculptor Antun Dubrovčanin and the master sculptor Bonino da Milano, was erected in front of the church of St. Blaise in 1418. 

The pillar symbolized the free commerce of the City and was generally a symbol of liberty, from which the flag of Dubrovnik with the inscription Libertas streamed on all festive occasions. Public punishments were carried out underneath this pillar, and today the opening of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival is announced from Orlando's pillar.

A view of Orlando's Pillar with St Blaise Church in the Background

A closer view of Orlando's Pillar

The Clock Tower

          Soaring high above the Stradun, the Clock Tower is a magnificent landmark of the old town. Located at Luza Square which served as the market area many years ago, it is adjacent to the Sponza Palace and faces Sveti Vlaho (Saint Blaise) Church, the patron Saint of Dubrovnik. The Clock Tower overlooks Orlando’s Column with its white Libertas flag waving in the wind.

A view of the Clock Tower from the Stradun

A closer view of the clock Tower from the Stradun

 A close view of the Clock Tower from the Luza Square

A view of the clock Tower from the Fort Walls with the St John 

Fortress and Lokrum Island in the background

The Rectors Palace

          Turning off the Stradun on the south-east, we arrive at the most important building of the City, the Rector's Palace, the seat of the rector and the administrative building of the Republic of Dubrovnik. 

This beautiful gothic Renaissance building has a very dramatic history.

          From the time its erection started in the romanesque period, the building was destroyed several times by gunpowder explosions, fires and numerous earthquakes, of which the most catastrophic was the one in 1667.

         After its reconstruction in the late 17th century, the Palace also acquired some baroque characteristics in the disposition of space, the beautiful staircase etc.

There is an interesting inscription in Latin on the door leading to the hall of the Great Council which reads

"Obliti privatorum, publica curate"

(Forget private affairs, attend to public business)

          This is certainly an inscription which could appropriately be placed at the entrance to our new administration builduings.

       The facade of the Rector's Palace was reconstructed in the mid - 15th century with beautiful arches and richly sculptured capitals, the most noteworthy of which is the last one on the right, the so called capital of Aesculapius, dating from the period of the architectural alterations carried out on the Palace by Onofrio de la Cava in 1440.

A view of the Rectors Palace

Another view of the Rectors Palace

The Dubrovnik Cathedral

          South of the Rector's Palace is the Cathedral of Dubrovnik, a baroque building erected on the foundations of a romanesque cathedral which was completly demolished in the earthquaqe of 1667.

          During repairs to the cathedral an even older basilica dating from Byzantine times, from the 6th or 7th century, was discovered. The church contains an exceptionally rich treasury. The cathedral is also famous for the very valuable paintings by old masters.

A view of the Dubrovnik Cathedral from the Rectors Palace (View from North)

Another view of the Cathedral from the North

A view of Dubrovnik Cathedral from the South

Another view of the Cathedral from the South

A frontal view of Dubrovnik Cathedral (From the East)

Another Frontal view of the Dubrovnik Cathedral

A view of the Eastern and Northern sides of Dubrovnik 

Cathedral from the NE Corner

Other Religious Institutions in the Walled City

          Almost every fifth building along the main sreets of walled city is a religious institution, be it a Church, aCathedral or a Monastery, as it was a Roman Catholic City. However it still permitted other religious institutions like Mosque and Synagogue within the Walled city

A view of a Mosque inside a Narrow Alley in the Walled City

A closeup of the Plaque on the Mosque Entrance

Note:- The information about the places visited has been Extracted from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia.