World Travel Croatia Travel Guide Shepherd Entertainment gives you the history of Dubrovnik, an ancient town which already suffered a lot of wars and serious earthquakes. The ancient town of Dubrovnik has already suffered a lot of wars and serious earthquakes. Last time it was under siege during the Croatian war of independence in 1992. 10 years have passed and the city with the effective support of the UN has gained back its old glory. Almost every house has a new red roof, chiseled white stone walls reflect the rays of the sun. Dubrovnik which was among the first to become part of the world heritage is more beautiful than ever. It offers such an experience that despite its isolated location and distance from the larger beaches, it should not be missed. Soon a new cable railway is going to lead up through the 1351 foot high Surud Mountain. The renovation of the apparatus damaged in the war is to begin soon according to plans. The panorama is simply wonderful. We can take the best pictures of the old town from here. The thick walls are 82 feet high in places. They were made impregnable by 15 towers, five bastions and two corner fortifications. The fresh green island of Lokrum is opposite the old town only 10 minutes away by boat. The whole island is one big opratum where little romantic rocky bays, overgrown by lemon trees, agave, pine trees and bay trees offer a good place for swimming and sun bathing. Walking into the old town, we can understand by Alberto Moravia said that we travel in time not in space. The atmosphere of the city shoots us back to the past. The first settlers could have been the escaping dwellers of the nearby Epidalos. They chose the little islands and cliffs that were very difficult to approach which were linked to each other by filling the narrow strait only centuries later as a protection against Avars and Slavs. The mountain pass ran along the present day main street. By the 13th century, the building of town walls was mostly finished and the picture of the old town that can been today was shaped. The settlement was called Ragusa at that time and for a long time which means the man who lives on the cliff in Latin. Tourists usually enter the city from the parking lot through Buza Gate. From here, a long steep stairs among houses, we reach the perpendicular 984 foot long, 66 foot wide main street called Stradon in Latin and Plakan in Croatian. The high houses and narrow streets provide shelter from the ferocious sun and clean clothes are not hung indoors of course. The huge bell tower of the Franciscan monastery is a dominating element of the town picture. Its three floors represent three different styles. The spiral pillars of the bottom windows are gothic. The arched strict hatches of the middle floor represent late gothic while only loopholes were placed at the top. The interesting spot of the bell tower of Sponsa Palace is the clock symbolizing the sun, its elongated ray showing the exact time. The busiest square maybe the place that is the biggest attraction is -- the meeting place of Placa and the fishing harbor. The martyr, Archbishop St. Blaise is the patron saint of the city. The church that was named after him was built in 1715. It's a three knave baroque church with a statue of the saint who holds the city in his hand. The Orlando Pillar was made master Antun Dubrovčanin in 1418. Like the medieval Roland Pillars, it was a symbol of the independence of the city though it was used as a pillory too. The sword of the knight functioned as a unit of measurement, one Dubrovnik cloth yard was equal to 51.2 cm. The artwork of Pietro Martino da Milano is the little Onofrio well which decorated with dolphins and gargoyles spouts water next to the building of the first guard. The main harbor of the city state was the old one until the appearance of huge steamships and from the mole, we can reach the city through two gates. The gothic gate on the side of the fishing harbor and fish market was erected at the end of the 1300s and on the side of the mole, a century later, in renaissance style. The harbor could preserve its former layout till nowadays. Its entrance guarded by a long stretching breakwater. Little pleasure boats leave to the island of Lokrum where we can rent a boat if we're interested in the blue cave on the Lapad Peninsula. The otherwise scenic picture of the harbor is further colored by private yachts and fishing cogs. Here, we can browse around for hours. In the evening, we can go on a cruise to see the flamboyant sunset. Tags: Visit Dubrovnik in Croatia,Croatia Travel Attractions,Croatia Travel Guide,Croatia Travel Information,croatia travel tips,dubrovnik in croatia,shepherd entertainment,world travel,shepherdfilm

• published: 05 Apr 2014
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