Dubrovnik Travel Guide
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About Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik, historically also known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, a seaport and the centre of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. In 2021, its total population was 41,562. Recognizing its outstanding medieval architecture and fortifications, UNESCO inscribed the Old City of Dubrovnik as a World Heritage Site in 1979. The history of the city probably dates back to the 7th century, when the town known as Ragusa was founded by refugees from Epidaurum (Ragusa Vecchia). It was under protectorate of the Byzantine Empire and later under the sovereignty of the Republic of Venice. Between the 14th and 19th centuries, Dubrovnik ruled itself as a free state. The prosperity of the city was historically based on maritime trade; as the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy. At the same time, Dubrovnik became a cradle of Croatian literature. In his letter to Nikola Nalješković (1564), poet Ivan Vidalić named it the "crown of Croatian cities".
Dubrovnik fun facts
- Dubrovnik's famous city walls were used as a filming location for King's Landing in Game of Thrones, and they order extra guards during tourist season.
- The Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik once had a prison cell that faced the sea so prisoners could hear the tide—locals say it was a mercy.
- During the 1498 earthquake, the citizens of Dubrovnik pledged to pay a tax forever to rebuild the cathedral, a pledge that technically still exists.
- Local fishermen swear that the Adriatic around Dubrovnik is haunted by the ghost of a Venetian galley captain who sank there in 1692.