Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, dǔbrɔ̝ːv̞nik, Ragusa, is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its population was 43,770 in 2001, down from 49,728 in 1991. In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

The prosperity of the city of Dubrovnik has always been based on maritime trade. In the Middle Ages, as the Republic of Ragusa, also known as a Maritime Republic (together with Amalfi, Pisa, Genoa, Venice and other Italian cities), it became the only eastern Adriatic city-state to rival Venice. Supported by its wealth and skilled diplomacy, the city achieved a remarkable level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. Although demilitarised in the 1970s with the intent of forever protecting it from war devastation, in 1991, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was besieged by Serb-Montenegrin forces for 7 months and heavily damaged by shelling.

The annual Dubrovnik Summer Festival is a 45 day-long cultural event with live plays, concerts, and games. It has been awarded a Gold International Trophy for Quality (2007) by the Editorial Office in collaboration with the Trade Leaders Club.

February 3 is the feast of Sveti Vlaho (Saint Blaise), who is the city's patron saint. Every year the city of Dubrovnik celebrates the holiday with Mass, parades, and festivities that last for several days.

The Old Town of Dubrovnik is depicted on the reverse of the Croatian 50 kuna banknote, issued in 1993 and 2002.

Among the many tourist destinations are a few beaches. Banje, Dubrovnik's main public beach, is home to the Eastwest Beach Club. There is also Copacabana Beach, a small stony beach part of the Elaphiti Islands, named after the popular beach in Rio de Janeiro.

Heritage

The patron saint of the city is Sveti Vlaho (Saint Blaise), whose statues are seen around the city. He has an importance similar to that of St. Mark the Evangelist to Venice. One of the larger churches in city is named after Saint Blaise. The city boasts of many old buildings, such as the Arboretum Trsteno, the oldest arboretum in the world, dating back to before 1492. Also, the third oldest European pharmacy is located in the city, which dates back to 1317 (and is the only one still in operation today). It is located at Little Brothers monastery in Dubrovnik.

In history, many Conversos (Marranos) were attracted to Dubrovnik, formerly a considerable seaport. In May, 1544, a ship landed there filled exclusively with Portuguese refugees, as Balthasar de Faria reported to King John. Another admirer of Dubrovnik, George Bernard Shaw, visited the city in 1929 and said: "If you want to see heaven on earth, come to Dubrovnik."

In the bay of Dubrovnik is the 72-hectare wooded island of Lokrum, where according to legend, Richard the Lionheart was cast ashore after being shipwrecked in 1192. The island includes a fortress, botanical garden, monastery and naturist beach.

Dubrovnik has also been mentioned in popular film and theater. In the film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Michael Caine, one of the characters said to have been dreaming of fairy from Dubrovnik (motive known from local legends and literature).

Ivan Gundulić, a 17th century Croatian writer, predicted the downfall of the great Turkish Empire in his poem Osman.

People from Dubrovnik

Franco Sacchetti (1332–1400): Italian poet

Milan Rešetar (1860–1942) linguist, Ragusologist and historian.

Matija Ban (1818–1903) poet, dramatist, and playwright

Stijepo Kobasica (1882–1944), Serbian journalist, author and politician.

Ivan Stojanović (1829–1900): Catholic priest, writer

Marko Murat (1864–1944) Serbian painter

Mato Vodopić (1816–1893) bishop of Dubrovnik, poet

Francesco Maria Appendini (1768–1837): Italian priest, philogist, linguistic.

Vito Maria Bettera-Vodopić (1771–1841) - military, politician, ragusan patriotic.

Antun Paško Kazali (1815–1894): Catholic priest, writer

Marin Držić (1508–1567): Croatian playwright and prose writer

Mavro Vetranović (1482–1576): Croatian poet and prose writer

Cvijeta Zuzorić (c. 1552–c. 1600): poetess

Dinko Zlatarić (1558–1613): Croatian poet and translator

Marin Getaldić (1568–1626): scientist

Ivan Gundulić (1589–1638) poet

Ruđer Bošković (1711–1787): scientist, diplomat and poet

Vlaho Getaldić (1788–1872): politician, noble, poet

Niko Pucić (1820–1883): politician and nobleman

Medo Pucić (1821–1882): writer, politician and nobleman

Federico Seismit-Doda (1825–1893): Italian politician

Frano Getaldić-Gundulić (1833–1899): soldier, statesman, nobleman, Knight of Malta

Pero Budmani (1835–1914): linguist

Vlaho Bukovac (1855–1922): Croatian painter

Ivo Vojnović (1857–1929): writer

Antun Fabris (1864–1904): Serbian journalist and politician

Frano Supilo (1870–1917): Croatian politician, journalist and publicist

Blagoje Bersa (1873–1934), Croatian musician

Miho Klaić (1829–1896), Croatian politician

Joakim Stulli (1729–1817), Croatian Franciscan, lexicographer

Bernard Stulli (1915–1985), Croatian archivist and historican

Vlaho Stulli (1768–1843), Croatian comedian

Eduard Miloslavić (1884–1952): scientist

Branko Bauer (born 1921): Croatian film director

Ottavio Missoni (born 1921): Italian fashion designer

Tereza Kesovija (born 1938): Croatian singer

Antun Vujić (born 1945): Croatian politician and philosopher

Božo Vuletić (born 1958): Croatian waterpolo player, Olympic gold medalist

Goran Sukno (born 1959): Croatian waterpolo player, Olympic gold medalist

Veselin Đuho (born 1960): Croatian waterpolo player and coach, double Olympic gold medalist

Milan Milišić (1941–1991) Serbian poet and playwright.

Slaven Tolj (born 1964): Croatian artist

Mario Kopić (born 1965): Croatian philosopher

Emir Spahić (born 1980): Bosnian football player (Montpellier HSC).

Srđan Lakić (born 1983): Croatian football player (1. FC Kaiserslautern).

Sanja Jovanović (born 1986): Olympic swimmer

Ante Tomić (born 1987): Basketball player

Dubrovnik Languages

The official language until 1472 was Latin. Later, the Senate of the Republic decided that the official language of the Republic would be the Ragusan dialect of the Romance Dalmatian language, and forbade the use of the Slavic language in senatorial debate. The Gospari (the Aristocracy) held on to their language for many centuries, while it slowly disappeared.

Although the Latin language was in official use, inhabitants of the republic were mostly native speakers of Slavonic languages (as confirmed by P. A. Tolstoj in 1698, when he noted In Dalmatia... Dubrovnikans....called themselves as Ragusan(Raguseos) and always have pride in the Republic).Dalmatian language was also spoken in the city. Italian language as spoken in the republic was heavily influenced by Venetian language and Tuscan dialect. Italian took root among the Dalmatian Romance-speaking merchant upper classes, as a result of Venetian influence.

Demographics

The population of Dubrovnik is 43,770 according to the 2001 census, with about 30, 000 live in the city proper. Approximately 88.39% of the population is Croat. However, by the Summer of 2011, barely 20 years after the War, the population within the old city walls has dwindled to about 1,000 people, most of them elderly. Many Croats fear that the city will turn into a ghost town catering to tourists only.

Important monuments

Few of Dubrovnik's Renaissance buildings survived the earthquake of 1667 but fortunately enough remain to give an idea of the city's architectural heritage. The finest Renaissance highlight is the Sponza Palace which dates from the 16th century and is currently used to house the National Archives. The Rectors Palace is a Gothic-Renaissance structure that displays finely carved capitals and an ornate staircase. It now houses a museum. Its façade is depicted on the reverse of the Croatian 50 kuna banknote, issued in 1993 and 2002. The St. Saviour Church is another remnant of the Renaissance period, next to the much-visited Franciscan Monastery. The Franciscan monastery's library possesses 30,000 volumes, 22 incunabula, 1,500 valuable handwritten documents. Exhibits include a 15th century silver-gilt cross and silver thurible, an 18th century crucifix from Jerusalem, a martyrology (1541) by Bemardin Gucetic and illuminated Psalters.

Dubrovnik's most beloved church is St Blaise's church, built in the 18th century in honor of Dubrovnik's patron saint. Dubrovnik's baroque Cathedral was built in the 18th century and houses an impressive Treasury with relics of Saint Blaise. The city's Dominican Monastery resembles a fortress on the outside but the interior contains an art museum and a Gothic-Romanesque church. A special treasure of the Dominican monastery is its library with over 220 incunabula, numerous illustrated manuscripts, a rich archive with precious manuscripts and documents and an extensive art collection.

Walls of Dubrovnik

A feature of Dubrovnik is its walls that run almost 2 km (1.24 mi) around the city. The walls run from four to six metres thick on the landward side but are much thinner on the seaward side. The system of turrets and towers were intended to protect the vulnerable city.

Transport

Dubrovnik has an international airport of its own. It is located approximately 20 km (12 mi) from Dubrovnik city centre, near Čilipi. Buses connect the airport with the Dubrovnik old main bus station in Gruž. In addition, a network of modern, local buses connects all Dubrovnik neighborhoods running frequently from dawn to midnight. However, Dubrovnik, unlike Croatia's other major centres, is not accessible by rail. Until 1975 Dubrovnik was connected to Mostar and Sarajevo by a narrow gauge railway(760 mm) built during the Austro-Hungarian rule of Bosnia.

The A1 highway, in use between Zagreb and Ravča, is planned to be extended all the way to Dubrovnik. The highway will cross the Pelješac Bridge which is currently under construction. An alternative plan proposes the highway running from Neum through Bosnia and Herzegovina and an expressway continuing to Dubrovnik. This plan has fallen out of favor, though.

Education

Dubrovnik has a number of educational institutions. These include Dubrovnik International University, the University of Dubrovnik, a Nautical College, a Tourist College, a University Centre for Postgraduate Studies of the University of Zagreb, American College of Management and Technology, and an Institute of History of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Climate

The climate along the Dubrovnik Region is a typical Mediterranean one, with mild, rainy winters and hot and dry summers. However, it is perhaps distinct from other Mediterranean climates because of the unusual winds and frequency of thunderstorms. The Bura wind blows uncomfortably cold gusts down the Adriatic coast between October and April, and thundery conditions are common all the year round, even in summer, when they interrupt the warm, sunny days. The air temperatures can slightly vary, depending on the area or region. Typically, in July and August daytime maximum temperatures reach 29 °C, and at night drop to around 21 °C. More comfortable, perhaps, is the climate in Spring and Autumn when maximum temperatures are typically between 20 °C and 28 °C.