Early history

The story of Dubrovnik begins with the 7^th century refugees fled on a rocky islet, when Avars and Slavs invaded and occupied the Roman city of Epidaurum (present Cavtat). They established their settlements on the islet which was located around the southern walls of present-day Dubrovnik. The islet was separated from the mainland only with a channel that corresponds with present day Stradun and named it Laus, later known as Rausa, Ragusa, and Ragusium which means rock or cliff on Greek. Recent excavations of a large Byzantine church beneath the foundations of the old Romanesque Cathedral shows that the islet was probably inhabited at the time but the new settlers increased the population. It seems that they’ve fortified the islet by the 9^th century and succeed resisting constant barbarian invasion and a Saracen siege for 15 months. The town existed as an organized unit and flourished under protection of Byzantine Empire from 7^th until the 12^th century. Meanwhile, across the channel, beneath the Srđ mountain, the Slavic settlement called Dubrava began to grow and was probably named after Mediterranean oak trees that surrounded the area (Croatian Dub means oak, Dubrava; wood. Later Dubrovnik). Connections between these two settlements grew until they finally merged in the 12^th century, and the channel that separated them was paved to become Piaca (today’s the longest and the most famous street Stradun). Roman community from the Laus islet eventually assimilated with the majority of the Slav people which strong cultural elements dominated and by the 14^th century the town was completely slavenised / croatised although was still under Byzantine protection. By the end of the 12^th century Dubrovnik had become important trade center. Free trade was also contracted with Dubrovnik land neighbors, Bosnia and Serbia, in that way providing strong commercial nets between Balkan and Mediterranean states (cities Molfetta, Ravenna, Ancona, Bari, Monopoly, Rovinj, Kotor). From the hinterlands, cattle and dairy products, wax, honey, timber, coal and slaves were exported along with the Dubrovnik products such as salt, cloth, wine, oil and fish.

Dubrovnik Republic

Dubrovnik eventually came under Venetian authority in 1205, after years of posing a treat to this leading merchant force in the Adriatic, and remained under its control for 150 years. City Statute of 1272 gave foundations for political, legal, and urban life, including sanitation in the Republic, jet all effective power was concentrated in the hands of nobility with the Rector on their head. Apart from nobility the population was divided into two other classes – citizens and artisans or plebeians. This increasing independence, legality and order contributed to much better life for peasants in the Republic then in the feudal states of the hinterland and was cause for increasing immigration which also contributed to the City’s final Slavicisation. Despite accepting Venice government the city continued to establish and its own commercial relations and spread its trades all the way to Syria and North Africa. In 1358 they finally braked away from Venetian authority, but still continued to pay tribute to Croatian-Hungarians kings, when recognizing its supreme power. The Croatian-Hungarians kings, only interested in the received money, didn’t interfere in Dubrovnik government, what accomplished with the total Dubrovnik emancipation in independent aristocratic republic called REPUBLICA RAQUSINA – the Republic of Ragusa, with Large and Small Councils (an assembly and government) and a Rector who had strictly defined authority (from then until 1808 the Rector was always a citizen of Dubrovnik elected every month). By the end of the 15^th century Dubrovnik Republic had expanded its borders on the entire costal belt from Ston to Cavtat, having previously Lastovo Island, Pelješac peninsula and Mljet Island in possession. The city established its own fleet that dispatched Dubrovnik trade to Egypt, Syria, France and later Turkey and trough famous Dubrovnik diplomacy maintained good relations with everyone – even the Ottoman Empire, to whom Dubrovnik began paying tribute in the 16^th century.  

Golden Era of the

Dubrovnik Republic

Skillful Dubrovnik politics based on gifts and tribute system become a synonymous for vise and clever diplomacy considering the protection of the Christian powers on the one hand and of the Turks on the other, as also maintaining diplomatic and trading contracts with many others important cities and states at the time. In the 14^th century Dubrovnik already had consular services in more than the 80 cities, amongst which are Lisbon, Madrid, Gibraltar, Malaga, Tangier, Barcelona, Marseille, Nice, Majorca, Tunis, Tripoli, Genovese, Livorne, Venetia, Pesaro, Ancona, Napoli, Palermo, Malta, Alger, Brindisi, Taranto, Trieste, Rijeka, Skadar, Drač, Valona, Krf, Solun, Varna, Constantinople, Smyrna, Latakia, Rhodes, Alexandria, Cyprus and others. By the 16^th century Dubrovnik navy was the third largest in the world and counted a fleet of about 200 ships and more than 5000 sailors who traveled far as the harbor Goa in India. Dubrovnik also had the monopoly of the salt trade and few colonies from which traded precious metals, lead, wool and finance. Janjevo in Kosovo is one of those colonies, where still exists a large Croatin community. Along with the metal, textile, glass and other workshops, joined also with masters from Italy, Germany, and France, that period was a golden era of Dubrovnik art, science and literature and gave many notable poets, playwrights, painters, mathematicians, physicist and other scholars. Renaissance thought and literature flourished trough the works of Marin Držić (1508-1567), the greatest comedy writer in Croatian and Ivan Gundulić (1589-1639) who wrote the world famous epic Osman. Amongst the others famous Dubrovnik citizens is Ruđer Bošković (1711-1787, complex personality best known by his contribution in field of theoretical physics and numerous tomes on optics, geography and astronomy.

1667 earthquake &

Fall of the Republic

Ruthless earthquake that struck Dubrovnik in 1667 left the City in ruins and was also a turning point of Dubrovnik till day’s prosperity. Only Rector’s Palace and Sponza Palace survived and are now vivid reminders of the golden Dubrovnik era. All other buildings damaged in the earthquake had been renovated, later on, in the baroque stile, and luxuries facades once facing Stradun during the renovation got almost modest features. Meanwhile the Dubrovnik maritime trade and its nautical force started to pale and lost it’s significantly. Napoleon’s entry in Dubrovnik in 1806 announced the end of the Republic and brought collapse of Dubrovnik’s navy and the collapse of the Dubrovnik aristocratic class which couldn’t adapt to social and economics flows of the new times that had befallen Europe. In 1814, following the Napoleon’s fall, Dubrovnik came under the regime of the Austrian occupation and with the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918 become part of the State of the Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. After Italia’s and than German’s occupation in World War Two, Dubrovnik finally become part of Socialist Republic of Croatia within Yugoslavia. Perfectly preserved City and its age-old summer residences scattered all over the region than soon become the most popular tourist destination for people all round the world.

 1990 Homeland War

After the free democratic elections and the Croatian declaration of independence in 1990, Dubrovnik went trough the ruthless attacks from artillery and naval forces of the Yugoslav Army, in Serbs attempt to occupy Croatia’s territory. In a few months’ occupation and isolation of the City in 1991 and 1992, Serbs manage to damage 68% of the old town buildings but also completely destroying the nearest surroundings – small towns, hotels and residences in the close area.  Although it took years for technical experts from UNESCO to return Dubrovnik facades its old glow and life into its interiors, soon after the occupation the tourists slowly started to return showing that it’s destined, for City unique such as one, to be full of life and happenings.  

The Dubrovnik city coat of arms is a historical baroque-styled emblem – four parallel red bars on a silver (white) inverted pear-shaped shield, given to Dubrovnik in the XIV century by the Hungarian-Croatian king Ludovic I. The scepter portrayed on the right side of the coat of arms and the sword on the left intersect each other (viewed heraldically). The coat of arms is topped by a golden royal crown on a red background.

The Dubrovnik city flag is white with an image of St. Blaise in the center, dressed in a red, western-styled bishop’s robe, with a chasuble decorated in yellow. His right hand is raised in a blessing, and his left hand holds the city of Dubrovnik and a bishop’s staff. The initial S (Sanctus) lies on the right side of the image of St. Blaise, and the initial B (Blasius) on the left side, both in yellow. The width and the length of the flag are 2:3.

Lyberty Hymn, verses from Dubravka, written by Ivan Gundulic, Dubrovnik's 17th century writer, considered to be one of the greatest Croatian writers. These immortal verses describe true Dubrovnik spirit with high praise to value of freedom. Liberty Hymn is played during the Dubrovnik Summer Festival opening evening while raising the Libertas flag on top of the mast on Orlando statue.