Dubrovnik, Croatia the best wonderful Place
Dubrovnik, Croatia the best wonderful Place
Looking down on to the red-tiled roofs of the Old Town of Dubrovnik as it nestles quietly alongside the cool waters of the Mediterranean, it is hard to credit that its history is steeped in political intrigue, war and destruction. But appearances_are deceptive, and Dubrovnik has a more violent and colourful past than most cities in Europe. For most of its long history Dubrovnik was an independent city state. It ccame under the protection of Venice in the 13th century, and Hungary some 150 years later. The city preserved its independence by careful diplomacy and payment of tributes. Under these conditions it grew into a wealthy democracy with a wide network of trading outposts. As the importance of the city increased many civil construction projects, such as the city walls, were undertaken, and Dubrovnik proved attractive to writers and artists.
Although the sovereignty of Dubrovnik passed to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century the city continued to flourish until it was all but destroyed by an earthquake in 1667. It was rebuilt in 1683, but the shifting trade allegiances and wars that rocked Europe during the 18th century weakened its power. The final death blow came in 1808, when Napoleon formally abolished Dubrovnik's tenuous independence, prompting a bombardment by British forces. The city languished through subsequent wars and European politicking until it once again shot to prominence during the 1990s Balkans War, following the break-up of Yugoslavia. During a siege which lasted seven months, before finally being lifted in May 1992, over 2000 shells slammed into the city.
Despite past violence and destruction, Dubrovnik is still a beautiful city. Indeed, the depredations of the siege have been repaired so successfully (with financial assistance from UNESCO) that visitors could be forgiven for thinking that war had never touched it. The best way to get orientated in Dubrovnik is to walk around the towering and immensely thick 13th-century walls that surround the Old Town. At the highest point of the walls on the landward side of the city is the distinctive Minceta Tower, which has the best panoramic views of the city, Lokrum Island near the harbour mouth and the Mediterranean beyond. The battlements at the top of the tower give great views down into the narrow streets and courtyards. Church domes and spires reach above the expanses of red-tiled roofs, and at sunset golden light skims these roof tops and casts the skyline into relief against the surrounding landscape.
The main thoroughfare, the Stradun, divides the city into two halves and extends over 200 metres, from the Pile Gate in the west to the clock tower at the harbour entrance. Once a marsh that separated the Roman and Slavic halves of the city, the Stradun is now paved with stones polished by years of pedestrian traffic, and lined with shops. As you wander the narrow streets away from the Stradun, you get a sense of the tightly knit community.
The houses in the Old Town are small and close together, with laundry strung between them, children play in the streets, and neighbours sit on front steps or lean from windows chatting and watching the world go by. Positioned in the middle of some of the most beautiful coastline in Europe, Dubrovnik is the perfect place to while away a few days. Although it lacks the grandeur of Venice, and the power and inluence it enjoyed in the 15th and 16th centuries has long since passed away, this small and modest city has a beguiling charm of its own.
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