The Old Town of Dubrovnik, the historic core of the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, formerly Ragusa or the Republic of Ragusa, known as a major maritime power, is an imposing historical complex on the southern Dalmatian coast. The complex, also known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic”, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Croatia since 1979. The Old Town of Dubrovnik is a unique medieval area of a walled city with numerous monuments from the Middle Ages, Baroque and Renaissance, which are today in excellent condition and form a self-contained architectural whole.
Settlements, including Illrian settlements, as well as various fortifications and fortresses have existed on the city’s territory since the third century BC. The city is believed to have been founded around 614 (as Rausa or Ragusium), when Roman refugees settled in the city; at that time the city was part of the sphere of interest of Byzantium. The first stone fortifications, including a barely preserved wall, were built at the end of the 8th century. A kind of reconstruction plan for the city was only drawn up after the devastating fire of August 16, 1296, which caused severe damage to the city. The Stradun, the main street of the old town, was a canal in the marshland until 1272, which separated the settlement on the island of Lave or Lausa from the mainland and was filled in; Another reason for the expansion of the city and its fortifications was the experience of the 9th to 11th centuries, when Ragusa had to defend itself against foreign powers, as well as the hegemonic claims of Venice, which were at least partially recognized in the period from 1205 to 1358, which strengthened Ragusa’s independence.
The rebuilding of the city from the early 13th century was accompanied by the construction of fortifications that were intended to protect the city, its entrance gates and the harbor from external enemies. With only a few exceptions – mostly in the areas adjacent to the city wall – the streets are laid out at right angles. From the 13th and 14th centuries onwards, the city was largely enclosed by the wall and has essentially retained its appearance to the present day – apart from the numerous reconstruction works to deal with the great earthquake in April 1667.
The original area, which was added to the World Heritage List as a cultural monument in 1979, consisted of the defensive structures, i.e. essentially the city walls including the three integrated fortresses and the old city center enclosed by them with all its buildings and facilities. Later, this list was expanded to include several other monuments: the district of Pile, which lies west of the Pile Gate and was home to many important factories in the 15th century, was added; the Lovrijenac Fortress from the 14th to 16th centuries, which lies outside the city walls to the west, and the detached Revelin Fortress from the 15th century to the northeast; the Lazareti quarantine facilities built east of Revelin in the early 17th century; the Kaše breakwater in the port area from the late 15th century; and finally the island of Lokrum, which lies in front of the city and has been home to a Benedictine abbey since 1023. The island of Lokrum makes up the largest part of the area with 72 hectares, the mainland part is significantly smaller at 24.7 hectares.
