Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city

March 12, 2015 by David Herd

The Pile gate to Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city

Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city, first impression certainly lived up to it’s reputation. It’s no wonder it is one of the most popular European destinations. This is the 3rd Croatian city I have visited starting with Zagreb then onto Split before taking a 5 hour bus trip down the coast to Dubrovnik.

Neum in Bosnia

Just north of Dubrovnik you have to cross the Bosnian border at Neum. They check your passport going in and going out.

Just inside the Pile Gate

Here is the first thing you see when you enter the city through the Pile Gate.

Lots of bars and restaurants

There is a big choice of places to eat and drink in Dubrovnik, being the low season they are all screaming for customers.

Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city has amazing stone walls.

I walked right around the entire city on top of the walls which costs about $20 and is well worth it. It really gives you a sense of this majestic city. Dubrovnik’s Old Town is completely surrounded by enormous stone walls that date back to the 10th century. Up to 6m (19ft) thick and 2.5m (8ft) high in places, Dubrovnik’s Ancient City Walls were built to protect the city and deter would-be invaders. You can walk along the entire (2km/1.2mi) length of the ancient walls today and it is one of the best ways to appreciate the majesty of the Old Town plus get some great views over the Adriatic sea.

There are 2 towers and 2 forts incorporated into the walls that were built and strengthened in the 15th century to bolster the city’s defenses. The Minceta Tower protects the city’s northern edge; the Bokar Tower protects Pile Gate (the city’s main entrance); Lovrjenac Fort protects the west, and the Revelin Fort protects the eastern entrance.

The harbour

The walk started at the harbor end of the city an continued anti-clockwise taking about 90 minutes to finish.

The narrow walk way on top of the wall

This is a great way to explore Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city.

Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city

Many wonderful views from the top of the wall.

Dubrovnik, a red roof city

This fabulous Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city is totally unique.

Minceta Tower

The rounded Minceta Tower where the walls are 6m thick, the better to protect Dubrovnik from attacks by land.

Minceta Tower

The tower was built in 1464 and was once used to store water. It was named after the Mencetic family who probably contributed financial support to its construction.

I would have to say Dubrovnik is one of the best cities I have ever visited.

Sunbathing

She found a nice spot out out of the wind and started working on her tan. Trust me the wind was quite cold that day. 🙂

Marin Držić

Marin Držić also Marino Darza or Marino Darsa; 1508 – 2 May 1567 is considered the finest Croatian Renaissance playwright and prose writer.

Clock Tower Luza Square

Dating from 15th century The clock tower overlooks Orlando’s Column and Sveti Vlaho Church.

Dubrovnik harbor at dusk

A great time of the day to take photos, the blue sky seems to highlight the shot.

Orlando’s Column

The knight carved in the column is Orlando. According legend in the 9th century Orlando and his fleet saved Dubrovnik from a 15 month long Saracen siege.

Fantastic Dubrovnik walls

Make sure you put this city on your bucket list.

2CELLOS - Moon River [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Watch this video on YouTube

Great tune filmed in Dubrovnik.

Karmen fabulous 2 br apartment

If you visit Dubrovnik and want a fantastic apartment look no further than Karmen apartments.

For a very good discount just book through THIS LINK.

View from the 2 bedroom Karmen apartment

The location is perfect and the price is very reasonable indeed. Marc the owner is very helpful and a hive of information. Staying here is like staying in your own home, the furniture, atmosphere and comfort is simply fantastic.

Marc van Bloemen owner of Karmen apartments

Marc is a friendly Englishman who will point you in the right direction for restaurants and has a great knowledge of Dubrovniks history. Dubrovnik was significantly affected by the break-up of Yugoslavia. In the early 90s, Greater Serb aggression resulted in Dubrovnik suffering its most serious existential threat. Over two thirds of the historic town’s buildings were hit by artillery. The town’s cobbled streets were struck by hundreds of direct hits. For the first time in history, the medieval city walls themselves received over a hundred direct hits. Many historic palaces were badly damaged by the resulting fires. The renowned Sponza and Rector’s palace, St Blaise’s church, the Franciscan monastery and the Amerling and Onofrio fountain all suffered severely. The total reconstruction cost was said to be some $ 10 million.

The soldiers come to town for a movie.

Shooting a movie can be very tiring so naturally a soldier needs to relax in the shade. 🙂

Breathtaking Dubrovnik

I took the cable car to the mountain top and saw this wonderful view of Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city.

Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city

The city looks rather small from the top of the hill.

From the cable car above Dubrovnik

Snow capped mountains in the distance.

Only the lonely

Let’s hope his girl finally turns up. 🙂

Black Risotto at an Irish pub

Thankfully it tasted better than it looked. 🙂

Azur restaurant

This is certainly the best restaurant I found in Dubrovnik, a little hard to find but well worth the effort.

Azur Wonton soup

In fact I went here 2 nights in a row. 🙂

Lots of very narrow steps.

It’s hard work getting up these steps.

Wonderful city

Here is the first of two photos I found online.

Here is the 2nd one

Both these shots are rather stunning.

A fitting end by 2CELLOS.

2CELLOS - Game of Thrones [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Watch this video on YouTube

Thanks for visiting my Dubrovnik medieval Croatian city photo blog.

Crisis in Dubrovnik

Marc van Bloemen has lived in the old town of Dubrovnik, a Croatian citadel widely praised as the jewel of the Adriatic, for decades, since he was a child. He says it used to be a privilege. Now it’s a nightmare.

Crowds of tourists clog the entrances to the ancient walled city, a Unesco World Heritage Site, as huge cruise ships unload thousands more daily. People bump into each other on the famous limestone-paved Stradun, the pedestrian street lined with medieval churches and palaces, as fans of the popular TV series Game of Thrones search for the locations where it was filmed.

Dubrovnik is a prime example of the effects of mass tourism, a global phenomenon in which the increase in people travelling means standout sites — particularly small ones — get overwhelmed by crowds. As the numbers of visitors keeps rising, local authorities are looking for ways to keep the throngs from killing off the town’s charm.

“It’s beyond belief, it’s like living in the middle of Disneyland,’’ said van Bloemen from his house overlooking the bustling Old Harbor in the shadows of the stone city walls.

So many cruise ships.

On a typical day there are about eight cruise ships visiting this town of 2,500 people, each dumping some 2,000 tourists into the streets. He recalls one day when 13 ships anchored here.

“We feel sorry for ourselves, but also for them (the tourists) because they can’t feel the town anymore because they are knocking into other tourists,’’ van Bloemen said. “It’s chaos, the whole thing is chaos.’’

The problem is hurting Dubrovnik’s reputation. Unesco warned last year that the city’s world heritage title was at risk because of the surge in tourist numbers.

The popular Discoverer travel blog recently wrote that a visit to the historic town “is a highlight of any Croatian vacation, but the crowds that pack its narrow streets and passageways don’t make for a quality visitor experience.’’

It said that the extra attention the city gets from being a filming location for Game of Thrones combines with the cruise ship arrivals to create “a problem of epic proportions.’’

It advises travellers to visit other quaint old towns nearby: “Instead of trying to be one of the lucky ones who gets a ticket to Dubrovnik’s sites, try the delightful town of Ohrid in nearby Macedonia.’’

In 2017, local authorities announced a “Respect the City’’ plan that limits the number of tourists from cruise ships to a maximum of 4,000 at any one time during the day. The plan still has to be implemented, however.

“We are aware of the crowds,’’ said Romana Vlasic, the head of the town’s tourist board.

But while on the one hand she pledged to curb the number of visitors, Vlasic noted with some satisfaction that this season in Dubrovnik “is really good with a slight increase in numbers.’’

The success of the Croatian national soccer team at this summer’s World Cup, where it reached the final, helped bring new tourists.

It’s a nightmare

Vlasic said that over 800,000 tourists visited Dubrovnik since the start of the year, a 6% increase from the same period last year. Overnight stays were up 4% to three million.

The cruise ships pay the city harbor docking fees, but the local businesses get very little money from the visitors, who have all-inclusive packages on board the ship and spend very little on local restaurants or shops.

Krunoslav Djuricic, who plays his electric guitar at Pile, one of the two main entrances of Dubrovnik’s walled city, sees the crowds pass by him all day and believes that “mass tourism might not be what we really need.’’

The tourists disembarking from the cruise ships have only a few hours to visit the city, meaning they often rush around to see the sites and take selfies to post to social media.