Weekly Snapshot: Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik has been one of the most charming cities I’ve visited during my Eurail trip all over Europe.

Dubrovnik is a city in Croatia located on the Adriatic Sea coast, and since 1979, it joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

It is really interesting to see this medieval city that developed itself thanks to maritime trade, and the history behind the medieval walls and its architecture. According to CNNGo, Dubrovnik is among the 10 best medieval walled cities in the world and among the 10 best places in the world for a fairytale proposal of the Valentine’s Day.  Yes, it is very romantic if you’re with that special someone.

The most prominent feature in the city are the fortification walls and the system of turrets and towers that run almost 2 km around the city. In some areas, the walls can reach up to six meters in thickness.

In 1991, after Croatia got its independence from Yugoslavia, the city of Dubrovnik was besieged by Serb-Montenegrin forces for 7 months and received significant shelling damage.  About 56% of the buildings received some degree of damage and the wall received 650 hits by artillery rounds.  Even though after the war most of the damage was restored to the original state, you can still see the signs of damage from high points around the city in the form of the more brightly colored new roofs (see the roofs on the second image).

Aside the interesting history behind the fortification and war, Dubrovnik also has a few more interesting details like the Arboretum Trsteno, the oldest arboretum in the world, dating back to before 1492; and the third oldest European pharmacy, which dates back to 1317 (and is the only one still in operation today).

When in Dubrovnik, make sure you walk over the walls to see the beautiful sunset and have an overall perspective of the entire city.  Don’t miss that!

This post was made possible by the generosity of Florence apartments.  If you are thinking of booking a Florence accommodation you should check them out for their great rates.  Our sponsor has provided a link for you to learn about cheap apartments in Florence.