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Dubrovnik (Ragusa)
began as a Roman settlement. From the Middle Ages on it was
a prize sought by Venice, Hungary, Turkey, and others who
recognized the city's logistical value as a maritime port.
But Libertas (Liberty) has always been uppermost in the
minds of Dubrovnik's citizens, and through the ages their
thirst for independence repeatedly trumped other nations'
plans to conquer their city.
Inside
Dubrovnik's walls, the pedestrian-only Old Town once again
resembles a glistening marble world stage bustling with
people from far and near.
Here
you will find almost all the Dubrovnik Croatia sights worth
seeing--historic churches and public buildings, designer
shops and homey restaurants, ancient sculptures and modern
galleries, fountains and bell towers, monasteries and
gardens--and the most famous of all, the ancient city wall
and its towers.
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In
1667, another kind of attack leveled Dubrovnik when a
catastrophic earthquake destroyed almost everything in Old
Town. Only a few original palaces and church buildings were
left standing.
The
city was quickly rebuilt in the new baroque style of the
times, only to be shattered again in the 1991-92 siege, this
time from the skies. Croatia's war with Serbia destroyed the
entire country's tourism industry.
Dubrovnik Croatia, one of the most popular towns to visit, was
physically scarred from the war, and economically crushed
from the lack of visitors. However, crowds are once again
flocking to this charming city nestled between the Adriatic
and Dinaric Alps, returning it to its former status as a
vacation destination par excellence.
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It would take an
army of Hollywood special-effects experts to design a set as perfect and
pure as Dubrovnik, and a team of creative stagehands to build it. Yet
this "city made of stone and light" is as strong and magnificent as the
sparkling sunsets that ricochet off its 14th-century walls. It is as
ethereal as the foam on the azure waves caressing the land beneath them.
In short: This UNESCO World Heritage city is a stunner.
