2 August 2019 Dubrovnik AM

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in 2019. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).

Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.

The weather forecast was for 87°F and sunny. However, much of the day turned out to be overcast.

We woke around 6 am and went to the breakfast buffet in the World Café on Deck 7 around 7 (after returning a questionnaire about yesterday’s shore excursion to the Explorers Desk on Deck 1).

‎Thursday, ‎August ‎2, ‎2019, 6:54 AM – Viking Star: photos of ship’s senior officers, on Deck 1 near Explorers Desk.

In the World Café, we found the Head Waiter Ahmad and gave him Don’s menu request for Aug 3 at Manfredi’s. (Earlier, we had called and cancelled out order for a special mean at Manfredi’s for Aug 2, since we had heard a PA announcement for the Taste of Croatia at the Pool Grill at 6-8 pm today.)

The Viking Star was scheduled to arrive at Dubrovnik at 8 am, to dock at the Gruž Port (Croatian: Luka Gruž).

Dubrovnik (pop. 42,615). our second stop in Croatia, is at the extreme southern tip of Croatia. Nicknamed “Pearl of the Adriatic,” it is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea. Known historically in Latin as Ragusa, it was the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, and achieved a high level of development, particularly in the 15th and 16th centuries. The name Ragusa was first recorded in the 10th century in a document (c. 950) indicating it was founded in the 7th century, while the name Dubrovnik was first recorded in 1198. The two names coexisted for several centuries, but Dubrovnik was in widespread use by the late 16th or early 17th century, although the Republic of Ragusa existed until 1808.

After the fall of the Ostrogothic Kingdom in 553, the town came under the protection of the Byzantine Empire. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Dubrovnik became a true oligarchic republic (ruled by the local aristocracy), becoming a commercial outpost for the rising and prosperous Serbian state. After the Crusades, Dubrovnik came under the sovereignty of Venice (1205-1358). In 1358, Dubrovnik achieved relative independence as a vassal-state of the Kingdom of Hungary. From the 14th century until 1808, Dubrovnik ruled itself as a free state (Republic of Ragusa), which reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Engraving of Dubrovnik, from south, before the earthquake of 1667 (By Georg Kowalczyk; Fotografie, Scan and postprocessing by Hubertl - Denkmäler der Kunst in Dalmatien, Herausgegeben von Georg Kowalczyk, mit einer Einleitung von Cornelius Gurlitt., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29817413).

The Republic gradually declined, due to the combination of a Mediterranean shipping crisis and a catastrophic earthquake in 1667, but its diplomacy was involved in the American Revolution. In 1806, French troops occupied the city in the name of Napoleon, and almost immediately Russian and Montenegrin troops entered Ragusan territory to fight the French. In 1808, the French abolished the Republic and amalgamated its territory into the French Empire’s client state, the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. In 1813, French troops occupying the city surrendered to Austrian forces. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the Austrians established the Kingdom of Dalmatia, which included Dubrovnik. With the fall of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the city was incorporated into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Kingdom of Yugoslavia). In 1991, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, the city was besieged by Serbian and Montenegrin forces of the Yugoslav People’s Army for 7 months and suffered significant damage from shelling. After repair and restoration in the 1990s and early 2000s, it re-emerged as a tourist destination. The Old City of Dubrovnik (Croatian: Stari grad Dubrovnik) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

Dubrovnik: aerial view, from south, of walled Old City, with Pile Harbor outside wall at left and Old Port at right (By dronepicr - Old Port and historical center of Dubrovnik, Croatia, a view from the south, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82205200).

Dubrovnik is now well known as the filming location of TV’s “Game of Thrones,” portraying Kings Landing, the capital city of the Seven Kingdoms; there are 19 specific filming locations in the city. It also served as “Nottingham” in a recent Robin Hood movie.

Viking Map of Dubrovnik; Key [of places we would see]: 2 = Pile Gate, 3 = Stradun, 4 = Dominican Monastery, 5 = Jesuit Monastery, 7 = Serbian Orthodox Church and Icon Museum, 8 = Revelin Fortress, 9 = Sponza Palace, 10 = Church of St. Blaise, 11 = [Large] Onofrio’s Fountain, 13 = Dubrovnik Castle ([Fort] Lovrijenac), 14 = Franciscan Monastery and Museum, 15 = Cathedral of the Assumption, 16 = Rector’s Palace, 17 = Orlando Column, 20 = St. John Fortress, 21 = Fort Bokar.

As the ship sailed into the port, we had a nice view from the Aquavit Terrace at the aft end of Deck 7, outside the World Café.

MT ‎7:12 AM – Dubrovnik: cruise boat passing our ship, with suburb of Dubrovnik on shore (mild telephoto 69 mm).

MT ‎7:19 AM – Dubrovnik: modern suburb of Dubrovnik on shore (mild telephoto 75 mm).

7:30 AM – Dubrovnik: suspension bridge viewed from Aquavit Terrace.

The Franjo Tuđman Bridge (Croatian: Most dr. Franjo Tuđmana) is a cable-stayed bridge across the Rijeke Dubrovača coastal inlet near the Gruž Port. Construction began in 1998 but was stopped at the onset of the Croatian War of Independence (1991-95). Construction was finally completed in 2002. The bridge is 518 m (1,699 ft) long, measured between the abutments. The overall span of the girder is 324.7 m (1,065 ft).

7:30 AM – Dubrovnik: near end of suspension bridge viewed from Aquavit Terrace.

7:33 AM – Dubrovnik: near end of suspension bridge and more of dock area viewed from Aquavit Terrace.

7:26 AM – Dubrovnik: near end of suspension bridge and more of dock area viewed from Aquavit Terrace.

At 8:45, we went to the Theater, which was the meeting place for today’s optional morning shore excursion “Dubrovnik by Land & Sea.” Our cruise booklet described this 4-hour tour:

“Explore Dubrovnik’s stunning setting as you approach from the water and disembark for an enriching walking tour. You and your guide will board a small boat and approach Old Town via the Lapad peninsula’s coast, which ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau described as among the cleanest and best preserved waters in the world. Stony beaches and a beautiful coast lead to Dubrovnik’s formidable walls. These fortifications have stood for centuries, defending the city from attack by sea and withstanding the constant bettering of waves. Passing the ramparts, you will make landfall in the Old Harbor, a once-bustling hub of trade and commerce and still an active pier for the day’s daily seafood catch. Disembark to explore Dubrovnik’s medieval streets by foot. You will pass Sponza Palace, the church of St. Blaise and the 15th-century Onofrio’s Fountain. There will be time to explore on your own before returning to your ship.”

Although we had paid extra for this optional tour, we had also signed up for the “Dubrovnik Walking Tour in the afternoon and would decide later if we wanted to do that or not, since the morning excursion said it included a “walking tour.”

9:13 AM – Dubrovnik: cruise boat (not ours), made to look like an old sailing ship (telephoto 105 mm).

9:14 AM – Dubrovnik: cruise boat (not ours), made to look like an old sailing ship (telephoto 93 mm).

9:17 AM – Dubrovnik: Viking Star, with larger MSC Musica cruise ship behind it, docked at Gruž Port near suspension bridge (telephoto 81 mm).

The small shuttle boat for the “Sea” part of our “Land & Sea” excursion was also made out like an old fishing boat.

9:36 AM – Dubrovnik: MT in bow of boat.

MT ‎9:29 AM – Dubrovnik: Don in bow of boat.

MT 9:28 AM – Dubrovnik: speedboat passing between our shuttle boat and a string of rocks out to sea.

MT ‎9:28 AM – Dubrovnik: that string of rocks with a lighthouse visible on largest one (mild telephoto 38 mm).

MT 9:37 AM – Dubrovnik: MT near bow of shuttle boat as we passed some cliffs.

9:55 AM – Dubrovnik: first sight of Fort Lovrijenac and southwest corner of city walls.

9:55 AM – Dubrovnik: Fort Lovrijenac, to west of Old Town just outside city walls (telephoto 81 mm).

Fort Lovrijenac – east side (By Pufacz - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2383589).

The St. Lawrence Fortress (Croatian: Tvrđava Lovrijenac), often called “Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar.” It is a fortress outside the western wall of the city of Dubrovnik, built on a sheer rock 37 m (121 ft) above sea level. Famous for its importance in resisting Venetian rule, it overshadows the two western entrances to the city, from the sea and by land. The fort has a triangular shape, following the contour of the rock on which it was built, with three terraces. The fort was named after St. Lawrence, a much-revered saint at the time of the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik).

Historians date the fort to 1018 or 1038, although first records of its existence are from 1301. According to legend, in the early 11th century Venice planned to entrench its troops on this rock and build a fortress in order to conquer the city. However, Dubrovnik learned of this plan, and the citizens were mobilized to build a fortress on that very spot before Venetian ships were able to arrive with troops and building supplies. The fortress was upgraded several times, with major alterations in the 15th and 16th centuries. After damage in the earthquake of 1667, Lovrijenac was also repaired in the 17th century. The sea side of the fortress has walls between 4 and 12 m (13-39 ft) thick, but walls on the land side facing the city are only 60 cm (24 in) thick; this was done so that, if the fortress ever fell into enemy hands, the city’s cannons from Fort Bokar could break the walls.

Fort Lovrijenac – east side, viewed from canon platform of Fort Bokar (By August Dominus - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35942099).

Today, the fortress is used for weddings and theater plays. “Game of thrones” fans will recognize the fort from a number of scenes filmed there. Its interiors were used as the halls of the “Red Keep,” and the exteriors are seen in shots of “Blackwater Bay.”

9:56 AM – Dubrovnik: Fort Lovrijenac, view into Pile Harbor (with Fort Bokar just to right of passing boat) and beginning of city walls to east (mild telephoto 30 mm).

Dubrovnik: Pile Harbor with Fort Bokar at right (By LBM1948 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70023944).

Pile Harbor, just outside the Old Town walls, is a small fishing harbor set between Fort Lovrijenac and the Bokar Fortress.

Pile (pronounced PEE-lay) is a small but busy suburb of Dubrovnik, situated in front of the Pile Gate, the main entrance on the west side of the walled Old Town. The name Pile is derived from the Greek word pylaj, meaning “gate.” It is the home of a popular bus station and taxi stop and is an important transportation hub for the whole city. Fort Lovrijenac is considered part of the Pile area.

9:56 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: Fort Bokar at western end of city wall (mild telephoto 30 mm).

The Bokar Fortress (Croatian: Tvrđava Bokar) was built in 1461-63 to defend the town’s main western entrance, the Pile Gate, with its bridge and moat. The semicircular casemate fortress is the oldest of that kind in Europe. The fortress projected in front of the city wall, with one part of it standing on a detached rock; arched supports were made to bridge the gap, and the sea still passes beneath that part of the fortress. The fortress received a roof in 1555 and was upgraded to its present state in 1570.

9:57 AM – Dubrovnik: first (southwest) corner of city wall (mild telephoto 38 mm).

9:58 AM – Dubrovnik: farther around same (southwest) corner of city wall.

MT ‎9:50 AM – Dubrovnik: same (southwest) corner of city wall, with more of southern wall.

9:58 AM – Dubrovnik: around that corner, south side of city wall, with canoes or kayaks in water.

MT ‎9:51 AM – Dubrovnik: looking back at southwest corner of city wall, with canoes or kayaks in water and stairs down cliff below southern wall to marked-off swimming area.

MT ‎9:51 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: canoes or kayaks in water and stairs down cliff below southern wall to marked-off swimming area.

9:59 AM – Dubrovnik: farther around south side of city wall.

9:59 AM – Dubrovnik: farther around south side of city wall, approaching Old Port.

10:00 AM – Dubrovnik: corner of city wall, just before Old Port.

10:00 AM – Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. John at corner of city wall, just before Old Port (mild telephoto 49 mm).

Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. John and Porporela breakwater – aerial view (By Bracodbk - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15574567).

The Fortress of St. John (Croatian: Tvrđava Sveti Ivan), often called Mulo Tower (Croatian: Kula od Mula), is located on the southeast tip of the Old Town. It is also on the southeast side of the Old Port, controlling and protecting the entrance of the port. The side toward the sea is round and the lower part of the wall is inclined, while the part facing the port has flat vertical walls with a number of cannon ports.

In 1346, the Dubrovnik Senate decided to build a fort on the outer dock of the port—Dock Fort (Croatian: Tvrđava od Mula). That quadrangular fort is still visible as an integral part of St. John fortress, on the western wall of the fortress. This initial fort was connected to the city by a defensive wall and the Dock Gates (Croatian: Vrata Mula) passing through those walls. In the early 15th century, a low, semicircular bastion was built forward of the Dock Fort, effectively integrated as the outer wall of the Dock Fort. On the very corner of the city, near the defensive wall, stood an old quadrilateral fort that everyone called Fort Gundulić (Croatian: Gundulićeva tvrđava), first mentioned in documents from 1222. Beginning in 1500, the old Fort Gundulić was upgraded into a much larger fort with semicircular form and a pentagonal bastion in front. This fort was sometimes called St. John, after the nearby church. In 1552-57, Fort Gundulić and Dock Fort, with their respective bastions, were merged into a single building (in its current form) that got a new official name: “The Fortress of St. John at the Dock” (Croatian: Tvrđava Sveti Ivan od Mula). The fort defended the harbor from the south, while the north side was protected by the smaller Fort of St. Luke; they were linked by a heavy chain to prevent pirates and other unwanted ships from entering the harbor. During the time of the Republic of Ragusa, the inside of the fortress contained a gun powder store. Today, the large interior of the St. John Fortress houses the Maritime Museum and the Dubrovnik Aquarium. It was used as a filming location for “Game of Thrones.”

The Porporela, built in 1873, is a pier and breakwater in the Old Port, adjacent to the Fortress of St. John. The name comes from the Latin purpura, which means purple, but also translates as an artificial breakwater. It was originally built to reduce the intensity of waves and strong south winds, reduce erosion, an protect boats and ships anchored in the harbor.

10:01 AM – Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. John, Porporela breakwater (with red beacon), and view of Old Town around the corner.

10:01 AM – Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. John with statue of St. Blaise in niche (telephoto 156 mm).

10:01 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. John with statue of St. Blaise in niche (telephoto 156 mm).

10:01 AM – Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. John and view of Old Town and arches of Arsenal in Old Port around the corner.

The Old Port of Dubrovnik is located at the eastern end of the city. It is encompassed by two breakwaters: the Porporela in front of the Fortress of St. John and the Kaše breakwater going perpendicular across the bay. In the time of the Dubrovnik Republic (Republic of Ragusa), several forts protected the port: the fortresses of St. Luke, St. John, and Revelin. In 1470, a low bastion was built leaning against the Fortress of St. Luke at the entrance of the port. Also built in the 15th century (1485), the Kaše breakwater provided additional protection for ships in the port. Before the breakwater was built, a chain had been put up in the evenings between the fortresses of St. John and St. Luke to protect the port from enemy vessels. Now, the chain covered  much shorter distance between the Fortress of St. John and the breakwater.

In the midst of the Old Port is a building with three enormous symmetrical vaults (the fourth original arch was later walled it), that is the old Arsenal, a place where ships were built in the time of the Dubrovnik Republic. From as early as the 13th century, there was a shipyard, known as the Arsenal (the inhabitants of Dubrovnik call it Orsan), in this area. When a ship was being built, the vaults would be sealed with bricks in order to keep foreign spies from noting shipbuilding secrets. After the ship was built, the brick wall would be demolished and the ship launched into the sea. The ships built in the Arsenal—known as galijuni and karake—were the pride of the Dubrovnik fleet, which in the 6th century boasted 180 commercial ships and was one of the most important in the Mediterranean. The building is now a restaurant and coffee house, Gradska Kavana Arsenal (City Café Arsenal), with the interior decorated as if were an ancient shipyard.

10:02 AM – Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. John (left) and view of Old Town and arches of Arsenal in Old Port around the corner.

10:02 AM – Dubrovnik: Old Town to right of arches of Arsenal in Old Port with bell tower of the Dominican Monastery; Fortress of St. Luke with crenellated battlement; arch at far right is a bridge connecting the Inner Ploče Gate (at its left end) with Revelin Fortress (telephoto 81 mm).

Since none of the Viking shore excursions would take us to the Fort of St. Luke, the Ploče Gate, or the Revelin Fortress, this is a good point to add some notes about these important parts of the city’s fortifications.

The Fort of St. Luke (Croatian: Tvrđava Sveti Luke), also known as Tower of St. Luke (Croatian: Kula sv. Luke), is located near where the Revelin Fortress, standing outside the city wall, completes the defense complex. The old tower, designed in 1467 with openings for cannons, once controlled access to the harbor.

10:02 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. Luke with crenellated battlement; arch at far right is a single-arch bridge connecting the Inner Ploče Gate (see red circle) with Revelin Fortress.

The Ploče Gate (Croatian: Vrata od Ploče) is the main entrance to the Old Town from the northeast side. This thoroughly fortified entrance complex consists of inner and outer sections and incorporates two stone bridges. The two bridges to the Revelin Fortress were built in the 15th century by the famous architect Paskoje Miličević, who also designed the Pile Gate bridge at the west end of the Old Town. While the Pile Gate seems to be the most popular entrance to the Old Town, the Ploče Gate is less crowded and quieter. These two well-protected main city gates for entrance by land were constructed so that those desiring to enter could not do so directly but had to pass through multiple doors and walk down a winding passageway. The purpose of this was as a defense against a surprise breach by unexpected visitors.

Dubrovnik: Inner Ploče Gate, viewed from bridge and leading down to St. Dominic Streeet; behind it are the bell tower of the Dominican Monastery (left) and the Asimon Fortress towering to the right (By donald judge - https://www.flickr.com/photos/donaldjudge/31583110280/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58055116).

The Inner Ploče Gate, built at the end of the 14th century, used to be called the Gate of St. Luke (after the nearby church of that name). The beautiful stone bridge leads through the Inner Ploče Gate onto the narrow St. Dominic Street (Croatian: Ulica svetog Dominika), which leads between the city wall and the Dominican Monastery to the Luža Square and Stradun, the main street of the Old Town. In TV’s “Game of Thrones,” the Inner Ploče Gate was the filming location for the gate of the Red Keep; Cersi Lannister passes over this bridge and enters the Red Keep through this gate after her naked “Walk of Shame.”

The Asimon Fortress, triangular in form, towers over the Inner Ploče Gate, on the eastern side of the city walls. It was built in the 14th century, when the Dominican Monastery was included within the city walls. In documents from 1318, it was called Ugao (meaning “corner”), and then from 1438, it was called the Fortress of Ploče. Later, it was called Asimon, which derives from the Latin expression “Arx iter Moenia” meaning “fortress between the walls.” It was reinforced in 1452.

Dubrovnik: Inner Ploče Gate – statue of St. Blaise above arch (By Sailko - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43275795).

Above the Romanesque arch of the Inner Ploče Gate at the inner end of the bridge is a statue of St. Blaise (patron saint of Dubrovnik), with a model of the city in his left hand.

Dubrovnik: bridge from Inner Ploče Gate leading to west entrance to Revelin Fortress; visible through the archway is the walkway leading across the south side of the fortress to the Outer Ploče Gate (By Ramón from Llanera, España - Flickr: Revelin fortress 001, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24723649).

The name of the Revelin Fortress derives from rivelino (ravelin), a term in military architecture that refers to a structure built opposite the city gate in order to afford better protection from enemy attack. In the period of unmistakable Turkish danger and the fall of Bosnia under Turkish rule, a detached fortress was built to the east of the city in 1462, providing additional protection to the land approach to the eastern Ploče Gate. Danger of Venetian assault suddenly increased in the time of the First Holy League (League of Venice, 1495-98), and it was necessary to strengthen this vulnerable point of the city fortifications. In 1538, the Senate of the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) approved plans for a new, much stronger Revelin Fortress, which took 11 years to build. The new Revelin became the strongest of the city fortresses, safeguarding the eastern land approach to the city. Shaped in the form of an irregular quadrilateral with one of its sides descending toward the sea, it was protected by a deep ditch on the other side. One bridge crosses the protective ditch and connects it to the Inner Ploče Gate, while another bridge, leading from the Outer Ploče Gate, connects it to the eastern suburb called Ploče. A paved walkway skirts the south side of the Revelin Fortress between the two bridges.

Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. Luke (left) and Revelin Fortress with double-arch bridge (at right) connecting it with eastern suburb of Ploče (By LBM1948 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70022866).

The Outer Ploče Gate, with a parapet across the top, is built into the southeast corner of the Revelin Fortress. It is approached from the east by a stone bridge followed by a wooden drawbridge that used to be pulled up at night to prevent unwelcome guests from entering the town.

Dubrovnik: Outer Ploče Gate, with drawbridge, viewed from bridge, with southeast corner of Revelin Fortress; beyond the gate is the paved walkway that leads to the bridge that connects the fortress to the Inner Ploče Gate (By donald judge - https://www.flickr.com/photos/donaldjudge/31116530074/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58055095).

Most sources say the Outer Ploče Gate was built in 1628 by the architect Mihaijlo Hranjac. Some sources say, erroneously, that it was designed and built in 1450 by Simeone della Cava, although that would slightly predate the construction of even the first Revelin Fortress.

MT ‎9:55 AM – Dubrovnik: view from Old Port of Minčeta Tower (far left background), tower of St. Dominic Church, Fortress of St. Luke with crenellated battlement, and Revelin Fortress with bridges on both sides of it; in right foreground is part of the Kaše breakwater.

Dubrovnik: Old Port with Kaše breakwater in middle of entrance (By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32513704).

The Kaše breakwater was built around 1485 to the plans of Paskoje Miličević, the most famous Ragusan architect of the Renaissance, to protect the port against southeasterly gales, while at the same time improving the facilities for controlling vessels approaching the town. The name Kaše is derived from the wooden box, cassetta, or in Dubrovnik kašeta, in which the stone blocks above the water were embedded until the mortar dried. In 1514, the breakwater was extended toward the eastern suburb called Ploče. This reduced the already narrow space for ships to enter the harbor, making it inconvenient for large merchant ships but still offering a way for enemy ships to break into the harbor. So, in 1617, Dubrovnik’s engineer Mihaijlo Hranjac recommended placing large stones across the northern channel to seal it off completely. This was not actually done until 1631, when the enemy threat was again at its highest. The chain used to keep enemy vessels from entering the harbor now needed to cover a much shorter distance, from the Fortress of St. John to the breakwater rather than to the Fortress of St. Luke.

10:03 AM – Dubrovnik: three arches of Arsenal facing the Old Port, as our shuttle boat approached the pier (telephoto 81 mm).

10:08 AM – Dubrovnik: MT and our tour group approaching Fishmarket Gate to east gate of Arsenal.

The Fishmarket Gate (Croatian: Vrata od Ribarnice), is also known as the Ribarnica Gate. Built in Gothic style from 1381-87, it is located north of the great Arsenal and at the east end of the main street Stradun. It is called the Fishmarket Gate because the gate led to the city’s fish market. At the time it was built, it was the largest city gate and was also called the Great Gate (Croatian: Velikim vratima; Italian: Porta Grande). Over the gate is a statue of St. Blaise in a niche in the wall.

Ribarnica is also the name of a street. The address of the Old Port (ferry port) is Ribarnica Ulica. One of the fortresses protecting the city harbor was the Tvrđava Ribarnica (Fishmarket Fortress), probably built in the 13th century and demolished in 1853.

10:08 AM – Dubrovnik: statue of St. Blaise in niche above Fishmarket Gate (telephoto 81 mm).

10:09 AM – Dubrovnik: our guide (red paddle for “Viking Star 8”) leading our group through Fishmarket Gate. with statue of St. Blaise in niche above gate and stone sign for “Ribarnica” to right of gate; MT in foreground (mild telephoto 38 mm).

10:09 AM – Dubrovnik: view through inner arch of Fishmarket Gate onto Stradun street with tower of Franciscan Monastery at far end.

The Stradun, officially called Placa, is the main street of the Old Town, dividing the city into northern and southern halves. At the same time, it is the shortest route between the eastern and western city gates, about 300 m (1,000 ft). When Dubrovnik was just getting started in the 7th century, this street was a canal. Romans and Greeks fleeing from invading Croatian-Slavs lived on the island of Ragusa (or Lave), and the Slavs settled on the shore. In the late 11th century, the shallow canal separating Ragusa from the mainland was filled in, and the towns merged. The small Roman-Greek group intermixed with the Croatian-Slave people, and in the 12th century Dubrovnik was a Croatian-Slav city. From the 14th century, the Croatian element was completely dominant. While originally more disorderly, this street was rebuilt in its current, straighter form after the 1667 earthquake. The Placa street was paved in 1468. The limestone pavement has been polished by use over the centuries.

The name Placa is derived from the Greek and Latin “Platea,” which can be translated as “street.” The other name, Stradun, is a Venetian sobriquet used ironically in the sense of “big street.”

The Stradun was featured in the Walk of Penance in TV’s “Game of Thrones.”

10:12 AM – Dubrovnik: our guide (red paddle for “Viking Star 8”) with MT and rest of our tour group at east end of Stradun street in front of Sponza Palace.

The Sponza Palace (Croatian: Palača Sponza), also called Dogana, Divona (from dogana, meaning customs) or Pontik, is a 16th-century palace on the east end of Stradun (Placa) street. Its name is derived from the Latin word spongia, a cistern where rainwater was collected, referring to the former use of the spot on which it was built. At the end of the 13th century, in this place next to the city wall, the Great Customs Building was built. In 1356, the Grand Council of the Republic of Ragusa decided to also build a cistern and a guest house there. In the 14th century, a wax foundry and armory are mentioned, along with the existing buildings. During the 15th century, a Latin school was built on the site of the aforementioned buildings.

The rectangular building with an inner courtyard was built in a harmonious blend of Gothic and Renaissance style between 1516 and 1522. An open porch (loggia) with monumental arcades opens onto the Luža Square in front of the palace, and another porch it on the floor above it. The palace has served a variety of public functions, including as a customs house and bonded warehouse, mint, armory, treasury, bank, and school. It became the cultural center of the Republic of Ragusa, with the establishment of the Academia dei Concordi, a literary academy, in the 16th century, It survived the 1667 earthquake without damage, and its form suggests the possible appearance of the majority of public and private palaces in the city before the earthquake. The palace now houses the city archives.

10:15 AM – Dubrovnik: Sponza Palace – entrance from porch into interior with courtyard beyond; above the door is the coat of arms of Dubrovnik and the word “Dogana” (Italian for customs).

10:15 AM – Dubrovnik: Sponza Palace – our guide (with red paddle for “Viking Star 8”) and MT in front of porch with entrance into interior with courtyard beyond; above the door is the coat of arms of Dubrovnik and the word “Dogana.”

10:12 AM – Dubrovnik: view across Luža Square in front of Sponza Palace to façade of Church of St. Blaise, with placeholder for Orlando’s Column (under repair) at right.

The Church of St. Blaise (Croatian: Crkva svetoga Vlaha) is perhaps the most well-known Baroque church in Dubrovnik. It bears the name of the city’s patron saint. According to legend, a millennium ago, St. Blaise appeared in a dream to a local priest and warned him that the Venetians were about to attack the city. The priest alerted the authorities, who prepared for the attack, and St. Blaise has been the symbol of Dubrovnik ever since. It is ironic that the city invited a Venetian architect to design the church dedicated to this saint. The church sits prominently at the east end of the Stradun on Luža Square. The church was constructed in 1715 by a Venetian architect. On the main altar is a silver Gothic statue of St. Blaise, rich with a combination of polychrome and white marble. In his left hand, St. Blaise holds a scale model of the Romanesque church that was destroyed in the earthquake of 1667. The statue was the only one to survive the fire of 1706.

10:14 AM – Dubrovnik: Church of St. Blaise - top of façade with statue of St. Blaise and part of dome behind it (telephoto 93 mm).

10:14 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: Church of St. Blaise - top of façade with statue of St. Blaise (telephoto 93 mm).

10:16 AM – Dubrovnik: Church of St. Blaise - façade with view south down side street Ulica Pred Dvorom to Cathedral of the Assumption (under renovation); another tour group in foreground near church, with blue paddle for group number “2,” from the French cruise line “Ponant.”

The street name Ulica Pred Dvorom means “street in front of the palace.”

10:23 AM – Dubrovnik: bell tower on Luža Square with “Libertas” banner; at left, above the inner arch of the Fishmarket Gate (between the Sponza Palace and City Hall), is a red banner for the Dubrovnik Summer Festival July 10-August 25.

The City Bell Tower (Croatian: Gradski Zvonik) at the east end of Stradun, next to the Sponza Palace on Luža Square, is 31 m high. In 1385, the city governors decided to build a city clock tower on this square, which was then the city’s main market, and it gave its first tick 5 years later. It was replaced by the current bell tower, begun in 1444. Originally, two wooden men were designed to strike the bell; they were later replaced by two bronze figures of hammer-wielding Roman soldiers, known as zelenci (green men or “Greenies") due to their green patina and called Maro and Baro by local residents. During the 18th century, when the clock and its mechanism fell into disrepair, a Franciscan brother repaired the clock hands, forming them into the current “Octopus”(although only one of its hands tells time), along with a bronze sphere showing the phases of the moon. After several earthquakes, the tower had begun to lean by the beginning of the 19th century, and the tower was finally demolished and rebuilt in 1929 in Renaissance style with some Gothic elements. At that time, the original bronze bell from 1506 was returned to its place of honor atop the tower. Now, two windows below the clock face and bronze sphere display the time with a digital clock.

The “Libertas” flag is now the unofficial flag of Dubrovnik. In the times of the Republic of Ragusa, Dubrovnik’s huge fleet of merchant ships traveled all over the world, trading and sailing under a white flag with the Latin word “Libertas” (freedom) prominently featured on it. The flag was adopted when slave trade was abolished in 1418. The Libertas flag typically flies above Orlando’s Column on Luža Square.

Libertas flag (By desconocido. Vectorized by Magasjukur2 - File:Libertas.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14942724).

The Dubrovnik Summer Festival (Croatian: Dubrovačke ljetne igre) is the largest and most representative cultural manifestation, not only in Dubrovnik, but in all of Croatia. It had been held on Luža Square since 1950 and lasts from July 10 to August 25 every year.

10:26 AM – Dubrovnik: view back across Luža Square to Sponza Palace, with City Hall at right.

10:27 AM – Dubrovnik: Rector’s Palace – west façade with arches.

The Rector’s Palace (Croatian: Knežev dvor), at Ulica Pred Dvorom 3, used to serve as the seat of the Rector of the Republic of Ragusa between the 14th century and 1808. (The Rector [Croatian: Knež] was the elected official who governed the Republic. During his one-month term, the Rector was not allowed to leave the building without the permission of the Senate.) It was also the seat of the Minor Council and state administration. Furthermore, it housed an armory, the powder magazine, the watch house, and a prison. The palace was built in the Gothic style, but harmoniously combined with Renaissance and Baroque elements.

Originally this was the site of a defensive building in the early Middle Ages. Documents from 1272 and 1296 referred to this as castrum and castellum (both Latin terms meaning fortress or castle); the term palatium (palace) first occurs in documents in 1349, and later documents used the Italian term palazzo maggiore (major palace). It was destroyed by fire in 1435, when gunpowder in the Arsenal on the ground floor exploded, and the town decided to build a new and more beautiful palace in the Venetian Gothic style. A gunpowder explosion again badly damaged the new building in 1463, after which the Ragusans finally decided it would be better not to store gunpowder so near the seat of government. In the reconstruction, starting in 1467, the ground-floor porch was reshaped in Renaissance style but with some Gothic elements (three of the seven capitals are Gothic). The windows of the ground floor and first (US 2nd) floor remained pure Gothic, as did the Gothic main portal, although Renaissance capitals were added to it. The building suffered damages from the earthquake of 1520 and again in 1667. This time, reconstruction was in the Baroque style. After the fall of the Republic of Ragusa in 1808, the palace was looted by Napoleon’s troops, and many valuable artifacts of the city’s cultural heritage were taken away. Today, the palace houses the Cultural History Museum.

In the atrium of the palace, the Senate in 1638 erected a monument to Miho Pracat, a rich shipowner who had bequeathed his wealth to Dubrovnik. He was the only private citizen in the 1,000 years of the Republic’s existence to be honored with a statue.

In TV’s “Game of Thrones,” the Rector’s Palace served as the Spice King of Quarth’s mansion. The bust of Miho Pracat can be seen clearly is a scene shot in the atrium of the palace.

10:31 AM – Dubrovnik: Rector’s Palace – west façade with arches.

10:32 AM – Dubrovnik: Rector’s Palace – Gothic door of main entrance in center of west façade; above door is a rare statue of St. Blaise seated; in the atrium, through the open door, is the bust of Miho Pracat (mild telephoto 44 mm).

One of the most important elements of the Rector’s Palace is a rare statue of St. Blaise in sitting position by the renowned master sculptor Ivan Dukovnić.

‎Dubrovnik: Rector’s Palace – Gothic door of main entrance in center of west façade; above door is a rare statue of St. Blaise seated (By JoJan - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40443001).

10:29 AM – Dubrovnik: Rector’s Palace – sign in Croatian and English for “Knežev dvor Kulturno-povijesni muzej, Rector’s Palace Cultural-Historical museum” next to Gothic door in center of west façade (mild telephoto 44 mm).

10:30 AM – Dubrovnik: Rector’s Palace – door with painted tympanum (woman with four children) and column with semi-capital at south end of west façade porch (mild telephoto 44 mm).

‎Dubrovnik: Rector’s Palace – painting of woman with four children on tympanum of door at south end of west façade porch (By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada - Croatia-01700, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66934887).

The 15th-century carved semi-capital with Asclepius, Greek god of medicine, is the only original capital on the porch of the façade of the Rector’s Palace. Asclepius is seen in his alchemical laboratory, and his servants (around the corner) bring him gifts of nature, including chickens, the usual doctor’s fee in exchange for herbal preparations. Although the arrangement of the figures was Gothic, they could show evidence of the early Renaissance style.

‎Dubrovnik: Rector’s Palace – detail of semi-capital with Asclepius on column at south end of west façade porch (By LBM1948 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70113879).

10:28 AM – Dubrovnik: view back to north on Ulica Pred Dvorom with Church of St. Blaise at left, Sponza Palace at far end, and Rector’s Palace at right.

10:28 AM – Dubrovnik: Cathedral of the Assumption (under renovation) at south end of Ulica Pred Dvorom.

Dubrovnik: Cathedral – main (east) façade and north side, with dome of cupola, in 2009 (By Zitumassin - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10436662).

The Cathedral of the Assumption (Croatian: Katedrala Marijina Uznesenja), also known as Cathedral of Our Lady (Croatian: Katedrala Velike Gospe), is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dubrovnik. It was built on the site of several earlier cathedrals, including 7th-, 10th-, and 11th-centurty buildings and their 12th-century Romanesque successor. The money for building the Romanesque basilica was partially contributed by the English King Richard the Lionhearted, as a memorial for having survived a shipwreck near the nearby island of Lokrum on his return from the Third Crusade (1189-1192). He vowed to build a great church on the spot where his life had been saved, but the Dubrovnik leaders convinced him it would be much better to build the church in Dubrovnik itself. After that building was largely destroyed in the earthquake of 1667, the Senate of Dubrovnik engaged Italian architects, who designed a new church in Baroque style with a nave and two aisles and a cupola. The style was in keeping with the esthetics of Roman Baroque architecture of the 17th century. In 1672, the Senate decreed that “the façade should be turned toward the east”, as opposed previous Romanesque cathedral should have the sanctuary on the east and the main façade on the west, following the norm in the Middle Ages; its façade had been oriented toward a small square (Bunićeva poljana). The reorientation of the Baroque cathedral arose from a new sensibility of space, because the extent of destruction on the east side was such that it enabled the formation of a wider square, Poljana Marina Držića (Marin Držić Square) that opened toward the Rector’s Palace on Ulica Pred Dvorom street, which connected with the port. Construction began in 1673 and was finished in 1713. The building was damaged by an earthquake in 1979, requiring several year of repairs. Then it was damaged by at least one shell during the Siege of Dubrovnik in 1991. The damage has since been repaired.

The main portal of the façade is flanked by four Corinthian columns. On top of the central part is a large Baroque window with a triangular gable and a balustrade with statues of saints. The deep niches in the façade contain statues of St. Blaise (patron saint of Dubrovnik) and St. Joseph with Child, The lateral sides of the cathedral are rather plain, articulated by pillars and semicircular windows.

We would see more of the Cathedral later.

10:30 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: store on Ulica Pred Dvorom with sign in window for “Game of Thrones Official Licensed Merchandise Sold Here.”

10:34 AM – Dubrovnik: Ulica Gundulićeva Poljana (Gundulić Square Street) to west off Ulica Pred Dvorom parallel to Stradun, toward market in Gundulić Square (past the square, the name of the street changes to Ulica Od Puča).

10:35 AM – Dubrovnik: view from Gundulić Square of the City Bell Tower on Luža Square and hill (in thick fog of a low-hanging cloud) (telephoto 81 mm).

10:35 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: view from Gundulić Square of City Bell Tower on Luža Square (telephoto 81 mm).

Visible in this photo are the two bronze figures of hammer-wielding Roman soldiers who ring the bell of the City Bell Tower. They are known as zelenci (green men or “Greenies”) due to the green patina the bronze has acquired over time. In 1477, the Council Minor of the Dubrovnik Republic passed a resolution to create the two male bronzes to strike the bell, replacing the existing wooden figures with hammers, which were coated in sheet metal, dating from the construction of the tower in 1444-45. These movable  bronze sculptures are believed to have been cast in 1478, 19 years before the making of the bronze Moors that strike the hours on St. Mark’s Square in Venice. These two statues, 191 cm (6.27 ft) in height, face one another like reflections to strike the bell harmoniously. The statues were made by casting the upper and lower parts of the body separately and then linking them from the inside in the abdominal area with a mechanism that enables them to strike the bell with hammers. They look like mythical heroes,  tough soldiers symbolically defending the City and the Republic. They are the only bronze sculptures from that period in the territory of Croatia and are the southernmost examples of statues functioning as jacquemarts (jacks with a hammer) in Europe.

Dubrovnik: City Bell Tower, viewed from south, with one of the two bronze “green men” (By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada - Croatia-01582B, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66934589).

Dubrovnik: City Bell Tower, viewed from other side, with the back of same one of the two bronze “green men” (By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada - Croatia-01590, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66934613).

Eventually, the ravages of time, climatic conditions, and repeated inexpert repairs called for urgent conservation of the originals. After the bell tower had to be demolished in 1928, the original green men were not returned to the tower when it was reconstructed but were replaced by faithful copies. The original statues were partially restored and initially placed in the atrium of the Sponza Palace. Further comprehensive conservation measures were begun in 2003. Since 2010, the restored statues have been on permanent display in Dubrovnik’s Cultural Historical Museum in the Rector’s Palace.

Dubrovnik: original two bronze “green men” now in Cultural Historical Museum (By MatrixCM, Own Work at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacquemarts_de_Dubrovnik,_Maro_et_Baro.JPG).

Also visible in Don’s photo, just to the left of the bell tower, is a gondola of the Dubrovnik Cable Car (aerial tramway or aerial lift) system, which provides a bird’s-eye view of the Old Town (included in two of the other optional shore excursions offered by Viking). Farther up the Srđ hill, with its top obscured by the low-hanging cloud, it what we had thought was a cross. This photo made it clear that this was actually one of the stanchions supporting the cable of the cable car system.

Dubrovnik: gondola near last stanchion before station at top of Dubrovnik Cable Car system, with white cross to right of station at top of Srđ hill (By Glen Scrborough at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cable_car_Sr%C4%91.jpg).

 Dubrovnik: view of Old Port and part of Old Town from cable car (By Mark Heard at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/View_from_Cable_Car_on_Dubrovnik%2C_Croatia_2011.jpg).

The Srđ is a low mountain (hill) just behind the walled Old Town of Dubrovnik to the north. It has a height of 412 m (1,352 ft), and at its top is a large white stone cross and Fort Imperial, a defensive structure built by the French in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. The Srđ was once forested with oak trees that locals called dubrava (from the old Slavic word dub, meaning oak tree), after which the city of Dubrovnik was named.

10:41 AM – Dubrovnik: Gundulić Square - statue of Ivan Gundulić with Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius in background (telephoto 72 mm).

Gundulić Square (Croatian: Gundulićeva Poljana) is the only open-air market inside the Old Town. It is located at the southern side of the Stradun, just behind the Cathedral. Once the place where all residents of the Old Town went grocery shopping, it gradually became a tourist stop, where one can buy authentic Dubrovnik products. It contains a bronze statue, from 1892 (unveiled in 1893), of the poet Ivan Gundulić in a dramatic pose with a pen or quill in his right hand. On the monument’s pedestal are bronze reliefs depicting scenes from Gundulić’s famous poem Osman.

Dubrovnik: Gundulić Square – bronze relief on statue of Ivan Gundulić showing a scene from Osman where Sunčanica is taken to the harem of the Ottoman Sultan Osman II (By JoJan - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40624661).

Gianfrancisco Gondola (1589-1638), better known as Ivan Franov Gundulić, was the most prominent Croatian Baroque poet from the Republic of Ragusa. His major works—the epic poem Osman, the pastoral play Dubravka, and the religious poem Suze sina razmetnoga (Tears of the Prodigal Son)—are examples of Baroque stylistic richness and, frequently, rhetorical excess. In his greatest work, Osman, he presented the contrasts between Christianity and Islam, Europe and the Turks, West and East, and what he viewed as freedom and slavery. His works had an overwhelming impact of the final standardization of the Croatian language.

Gundulić was born in Dubrovnik into  wealthy Ragusan noble family (the House of Gundulić) and received an excellent education. After studying the humanities, philosophy, Roman law, and jurisprudence in general, he held numerous offices for the Great Council (Veliko vieće) of the Republic. In 1608, at the age of 19, he became a member of the Great Council; twice, in 1615 and 1619, he held the temporary function of Rector (Croatian: Knež) of Konavle, an area southeast of the city. In 1636, he became a senator, in 1637 a judge, and in 1638 a member of the Small Council (Malo vieće). Had he lived longer, he probably would have been elected Rector of the Dubrovnik Republic. (His father had been Rector 5 times, and his son would hold the office four times.)

10:42 AM – Dubrovnik: Gundulić Square - statue of Ivan Gundulić with inscription “ČIVU FRANA CUNDULIČA NAROD 1893” on the marble plinth (telephoto 93 mm).

10:43 AM – Dubrovnik: Gundulić Square – view from west side of market toward Jesuit Staircase leading up to Jesuit College and Church of St. Ignatius (another tour group in right foreground, with blue paddle for group number “2,” from the French cruise line “Ponant”).

10:43 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: Jesuit College at top of Jesuit Staircase, viewed from west side of market in Gundulić Square; awning and street lamps for “Café Royal” restaurant (another tour group in right foreground, with blue paddle for group number “2,” from the French cruise line “Ponant”).

The Café Royal restaurant is part of the Pucić Palace Hotel, located at Ulica Od Puča 1. It is housed in an 17th-century Baroque palace, once the home of Dubrovnik’s aristocratic Pucić family, known for their political work and their love of art. In 1895, the palace began to serve as a hotel, then called Hotel De la Ville.

However, our guide this morning did not take us to the Jesuit Staircase, but continued west on Ulica Od Puča.

10:43 AM – Dubrovnik: our tour group on Ulica Od Puča street to west of Gundulić Square (the street lamp in the left foreground says “Razonoda.”

The Ulica Od Puča (street to the well) connects the Gundulić Square with the Poljana Paskoje Miličević square. The name of the street comes from the Slavic word “puč,” which means well (many of which were scattered along the street). The address of the Razonoda Wine Bar is at Od Puča 1, same as the Pucić Palace Hotel, of which it is a part.

The next stop on our tour was the Poljana Paskoje Miličević square

10:51 AM – Dubrovnik: Poljana Paskoje Miličević – Large Onofrio’s Fountain (center); to its right is St. Savior Church and then part of the Franciscan Monastery; behind all this is part of the city wall with people on top.

The Poljana Paskoje Miličević square is named for the architect Poljana Paskoje Miličević. On it are the Large Onofrio’s Fountain and St. Savior Church (Croatian: Crkva svetog Spasa). It is sometimes referred to as St. Savior Square. The Franciscan Monastery is nearby.

Paskoje Miličević Mihov (c. 1440-1516) was a local Croatian builder active in the time of the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik). From 1466 to 1516, he was the chief architect of Dubrovnik. He worked on the fortifications of the walls of Dubrovnik, the Ponta Gate, the Sponza Palace, and the Dominican Monastery. In 1471, he also designed the stone bridge between the two Gothic arches of the Pile Gate.

10:51 AM – Dubrovnik: Poljana Paskoje Miličević – Large Onofrio’s Fountain; behind it is part of the city wall with people on top.

In the old days, Dubrovnik had big problems with water supply because the summers were long and dry. At first, Dubrovnik was supplied by cisterns that collected rainfall from the rooftops. In 1304, the city government decided to build a large cistern next to the Divona (customs house) building in a place called spongia (cistern or alluvium, i.e. sand, clay, etc. deposited by flowing water), then sponcia, and later Sponza (where the Sponza Palace now stands). The cistern was built in 1311. Until the beginning of the 15th century, boats supplied the city with water because the wells were insufficient. In 1436, the Great Council (Senate) decided to bring water into the city from a spring near the village of Knežice (near Šumet), which was 11.7 km outside the city walls. The project was entrusted to the renowned Italian Architect Onofrio della Cava. By 1442, he brought water to the city by free fall via an aqueduct with a total drop in elevation of 20 m from the source to the water reservoir. Seventy liters of water flowed per second. Originally, there were four water tanks along the way, but they were eventually eliminated to keep people from stealing it or to prevent enemies from using them in time of war. After the aqueduct system, Onofrio built two fountains, one large and one small. The local 16th-century writer Marin Držić set parts of his comedy Novele od Stanac (Tale of Stanac) beside the large and small Onofrio fountains. Locals used Onofrio’s fountains as a main source of water all the way up to the end of the 19th century, when a modern water supply system was installed.

Dubrovnik: aerial view of Large Onofrio’s Fountain (By Neoneo13 - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1170743).

The Large Onofrio’s Fountain (Croatian: Velika Onofrijeva Fontana), built in 1438-40, is located near the western entrance into the Old Town. To guard against the plague, visitors to the city had to wash themselves here before they were allowed to enter. Originally, the circular fountain topped by a bulbous dome was richly decorated with sculptures but was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1667. Only 16 carved stone masks remain, with spouts in their mouths dribbling drinkable water into a 16-sided drainage basin. A statue of a dog that adorns the top walls of the fountain is a replica installed in 2016. So today’s appearance is noticeably more humble than that of 500 years ago.

Dubrovnik: dog statue on top of wall of Large Onofrio’s Fountain (By Richard Mortel at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Onofrio_Fountain%2C_Dubrovnik%2C_1438_%281%29_%2830115264576%29.jpg).

The stone statue of a sitting dog called “Kučak” (the traditional word for dog in Dubrovnik), on the side of the fountain facing the St. Savior Church, represents a guardian and protector of the values of the Dubrovnik Republic. The domed fountain was originally decorated with many sculptures, and various animals adorned the top of the wall around the fountain when it was completed in the 15th century. The statue of the dog remained in place even after the Great Earthquake that badly damaged the Old Town and the fountain in 1667. In the early 19th century, however, it fell from its perch and cracked for no obvious reason. The damaged original is now in a museum, but a replica was replaced in its rightful position on the fountain in 2016.

The Little Onofrio’s Fountain (Croatian: Mala Onofrijeva Fontana), built in 1440-42 with phenomenal Gothic decoration, is located in Luža Square at the opposite (east) end of the Stradun on the wall under the bell tower in a niche on the façade of the building of the City Guard. The reliefs of nude baby boys on the octagonal sides of the fountain pool, the playful dolphins with shells, the masks dispensing water, and the kneeling boys on the water pole reveal the influence of Renaissance, although with reminiscences of Gothic style. In the Middle Ages, it had a religious significance too. It was used only by Christians, while nearby was the so-called Jewish Fountain that was used by Dubrovnik’s Jews. After the fall of the Republic of Ragusa, the Jewish Fountain was moved to Brsalje street, in the Pile district west of the Old Town, where it stands today.

10:51 AM – Dubrovnik: Poljana Paskoje Miličević – St. Savior Church, with corner of Franciscan Monastery at right; behind all this is part of the city wall with people on top (mild telephoto 38 mm).

The St. Savior Church (Croatian: Crkva svetog Spasa), between the Pile Gate and the Franciscan Monastery and facing the Large Onofrio’s Fountain on Poljana Paskoje Miličević square, is a small votive church dedicated to Jesus Christ. The church was commissioned by decision of the Dubrovnik Senate in 1520, shortly after an earthquake, to please God and thank the Savior for sparing the city from greater damage. A monumental inscription above the main entrance on the façade testifies to this. The church was built in 1520-28. It was not damaged in the great earthquake of 1667 and hence remains in its original form. The church has a single nave with a Gothic cross-ribbed vault, and side windows are also Gothic with pointed arches. Nevertheless, it is a good example of early Renaissance architecture that dominated Dubrovnik prior to rebuilding after 1667. The façade contains prominent Renaissance elements both on the portal and the three-leaf semicircular (trefoil) roofline at the top of the façade. In addition, the proportions of the building and semicircular apse reveal a Renaissance style.

Dubrovnik: St. Savior Church- main portal in façade with inscription above it (By MrPanyGoff - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9819061).

Then, leaving the Paskoje Miličević Square, we went out through the Pile Gate to view it from outside.

11:08 AM – Dubrovnik: Pile Gate – stone bridge leading to outer gate.

11:01 AM – Dubrovnik: Pile Gate – Outer City Gate with drawbridge and statue of St. Blaise.

The [City] Pile Gate (Croatian: [Gradska] Vrate Pile) was built in the 14th century by Ivan of Siena. The name Pile is derived from the Greek word pylaj, meaning gate. Today, it is the main entrance from the west into the Old Town and the main street Stradun. It consists of the Outer City Gate and the Inner City Gate. The gates are a well-fortified complex with multiple doors, defended by Fort Bokar and a moat that ran around the outside of the city walls. The Pile Gate was used as a filming location for “Game of Thrones.”

The Outer City Gate was built in 1537 with a Renaissance arch on the outer side of a semicircular fortification also built in the 16th-century. During the time of the Dubrovnik Republic, it used to have a wooden drawbridge that was pulled up at night to prevent unwelcome guests from entering the medieval walled city. The first stone bridge, built in 1397, had only one arch. In 1471, the moat was widened, and a new stone bridge with three arches was built, according to a design of Paskoje Miličević. In 1533-37, the first bridge arch was demolished, and the gate was remade into the form seen today. The beautiful stone bridge crosses the former moat (now a grassy area) in order to enter the Outer Gate. However, the stone bridge still connects with a smaller, wooden drawbridge that now always remains open to visitors. In a niche above the Renaissance arch of the Outer Gate is a statue of St. Blaise with a model of the city in his left hand.

After passing through the Outer Gate, you can take either stairs or a ramp down to the Inner City Gate, which was built in the Gothic style in 1460. Its double doors lead through the main city wall. Again, it is topped by a statue of St. Blaise, this one by the leading Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović (1883-1962). As you pass through the Gothic arch, you will be looking ahead onto the Placa, commonly known as Stradun, Dubrovnik’s pedestrian promenade.

11:01 AM – Dubrovnik: Pile Gate – closer view of Outer City Gate with drawbridge and statue of St. Blaise.

11:01 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: Pile Gate – statue of St. Blaise above Outer City Gate.

This was the end of our guided tour. The guide was showing us where we could catch a shuttle bus back to the ship just outside the Pile Gate, or we could go back to the port and return to the ship by the shuttle boat on which we had come.

MT 11:02 AM – Dubrovnik: MT and Don by wall outside Pile Gate, with Minčeta Tower in background and fog on hill behind it; since the guided tour had finished, we had taken off our QuietVox audio devices for listening to the guide and stowed them in the roomy cargo pockets of Don’s pants (mild telephoto 45 mm).

Dubrovnik: Minčeta Tower in morning sun (By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada - Croatia-01550 - Minčeta Tower in the Morning, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66934491).

To the left of the St. Savior Church, a steep stairway leads up to the imposing Minčeta Tower (Croatian: Tvrđava Minčeta). The tower, the highest point of the Dubrovnik defensive system, is a strong fortress located at the west end of the north city wall, facing toward the land. The name derives from the Menčetić family, who owned the ground the tower was built upon. It is a large, round fort with a massive base in the form of a huge covered outer wall, The fort is topped with a great Gothic crown that is of negligible strategic importance and is more decorative in nature. The fort was originally built in 1319 as a high-reaching quadrilateral fort and served that function for over 100 years. However, after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire (Turks) in 1453, there was much debate about reinforcing this important fort, and the Dubrovnik Republic enlisted a famous architect Michelozzo from Florence. Around the earlier quadrilateral fort, he built a new round tower adapted to the new technique of warfare and joined it to a new system of low scarp walls. The walls of the new tower were 6 m thick and had a series of protected gun ports. The building started in 1461. In 1464, Michelozzo left Dubrovnik, offended when his plans for the reconstruction of the Rector’s Palace were rejected. Another architect, from Zadar, built the bottom of the fortress and gave it its recognizable overhead part. When completed in 1464, the tower became the symbol of the unconquerable city of Dubrovnik.

Don and MT wanted to see more of the Old Town. So we went back inside the Pile Gate, starting at the Paskoje Miličević Square.

Dubrovnik: Paskoje Miličević Square - St. Savior Church (left) and Onofrio’s Large Fountain (right); in center is south wall of Franciscan Monastery on Stradun, with bell tower and entrance to Franciscan Church at far right end (By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada - Croatia-01649, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66934761).

11:16 AM – Dubrovnik: MT on Stradun by south wall of Franciscan Monastery, with bell tower and entrance to Franciscan Church at far right end.

The Franciscan Monastery (Croatian: Franjevački samostan) complex is situated at the west end of Placa (aka Stradun) street, near the Pile Gate and St. Savior Church. The lateral façade (south wall) of the monastery runs along the principal street of Dubrovnik, and the monastery spreads north along the city walls as far as the Minčeta Tower. The Franciscan order arrived in Dubrovnik around 1234 and built its first monastery (Franciscan Monastery of St. Thomas) in the 13th century in the Pile area, outside the city wall. However, when the city was threatened by war in 1317, the decision was made to demolish that monastery, to prevent its use by an enemy besieging the city. In case the enemy managed to enter the city, the monks would be the first to defend it because they were unmarried an therefore had no wives or children. The new monastery (Friars Minor Monastery) inside the city walls, near the Pile Gate, was constructed in the same year in a transitional Romanesque-Gothic style, but work on it continued for centuries.

The large Franciscan Church (Croatian: Franjevačka crkva) had been one of the richest churches in Dubrovnik before it was destroyed in the great earthquake of 1667. The only element of the former building that has been preserved is the decorated portal on the south wall overlooking the west end of the Stradun. It was sculpted in 1498 in Gothic style. It was probably moved from the front to the lateral wall in the course of restoration in the 17th century. The portal has all the marks of the Gothic style, but the solid volumes of the figures show the Renaissance spirit. The figures of St. Jerome (holding a model of the pre-earthquake church) and St. John the Baptist are set above the door posts, while the almost life-sized Pietà in relief is represented in the central Gothic lunette. The figure of the Father Creator is above the lunette. The original Gothic top of the bell tower was lost during the earthquake and replaced with an octagonal cupola. The church was reconstructed in the Baroque style. Historically, this was the house of worship for Dubrovnik’s poor people, while the Dominican Church (at the far east end of the Stradun) was for the wealthy. Services were staggered by 15 minutes to allow servants to drop off their masters there and then rush up the Stradun for their own service here.

Dubrovnik: carved portal on south wall of Franciscan Monastery (By Sailko - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43244094).

Dubrovnik: sculptures at top of carved portal on south wall of Franciscan Monastery (By Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Carved portal of Franciscan monastery, Dubrovnik 1498 (3), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69770100).

11:14 AM – Dubrovnik: stone with gargoyle-like face on south wall of Franciscan Monastery (telephoto 93 mm).

On the Stradun, to the right of the entrance to the monastery cloister and the left of the entrance portal of the church, a small stone with a gargoyle-like face, known as the “maskeron” (mask), juts out of the wall just above the pavement. Some say it is the face of an owl. For some reason, it has become a test of male endurance to stand on this stone—which is extremely hard to balance upon—and, while facing the wall, to remove one’s shirt and put it back on again before falling off. According to legend, this procedure or ritual began with the vow of a young man who could not find love; so he vowed to try until he was able to “win” the maskeron for a happy love.

Then we retraced out steps back to the Gundulić Square, from which we had briefly glimpsed the Jesuit Staircase.

11:26 AM – Dubrovnik: Jesuit Staircase and Jesuit College, viewed from Gundulić Square (telephoto 81 mm).

Ulica Lučarica street, past the south end of Gundulić market square, becomes Ulica uz Jezuite (Jesuit Street), at the end of which are the ornate Baroque steps of the Jesuit Staircase that lead up to the Ruđera Boškovića Square (Croatian: Poljana Ruđera Boškovića), where the Church of St. Ignatius (Croatian: Crkva sv. Ignacija) and the reputable 17th-century Jesuit College of Dubrovnik (Collegium Ragusinum) are located. The steps, designed by an architect from Rome in 1738, were possibly intended to echo the famous Spanish Steps in Rome. The steps of the huge staircase are built in a convex-concave fashion, adding a special visual effect to the whole complex. Construction of the church and college began with funds donated by a Jesuit member of the Gundulić family. This urban complex is regarded by many as the most representative example of the Baroque in Dubrovnik and the whole Croatian coast.

In TV’s “Game of Thrones,” the Jesuit Staircase, or Jesuit Steps, doubled as the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor in King’s Landing. These stairs are the famous setting from which Cersei must start on her naked Walk of Atonement (Walk of Shame, Walk of Penance) to return home.

11:26 AM – Dubrovnik: Jesuit Staircase leading up to Jesuit College, viewed from bottom of steps on Jezuite street.

MT 11:20 AM – Dubrovnik: Jesuit Staircase leading up to Jesuit College, viewed from bottom of steps on Jezuite street (mild telephoto 42 mm).

11:26 AM – Dubrovnik: MT taking photo at bottom of Jesuit Staircase leading up to Jesuit College.

11:27 AM – Dubrovnik: view from bottom of Jesuit Staircase leading up to Jesuit College (The street lamps and awning on the right are for the Konaba Koloseum restaurant at Ulica uz Jezuite 6, listed by Tripadvisor as one of the 10 best restaurants in Dubrovnik).

MT 11:21 AM – Dubrovnik: MT on Jesuit Staircase leading up to Jesuit College (mild telephoto 42 mm).

11:30 AM – Dubrovnik: view, across Ruđera Boškovića Square, of Jesuit College.

Construction of the Jesuit College began in 1662. With its neutral and hard lines, the College building emphasizes the Baroque façade of the church and the connected Jesuit Staircase leading toward the city center. After the college building was badly damaged in the 1667 earthquake, its restoration was again funded by the Gundulić family. The college was the predecessor of the present-day University of Dubrovnik. At first, local Jesuit clergy provided education until the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, when the college became the property of the Archbishop of Dubrovnik. In 1777, the Archbishop turned it over to the Piarist (Scolopi) Fathers, who taught there until 1868. For a while, during the French occupation of Dubrovnik in the early 19th century, the building was taken over as a military hospital. During Austrian rule, the building changed its owners and purpose several times, but in 1940 it was returned to the Diocese of Dubrovnik, and it housed a diocesan seminary starting in 1950. The secondary school section, founded in 1941, was renamed in 2007 as the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium “Ruđer Bošković” (Croatian: Biskupijska klasična gimnazija Ruđera Boškovića, gimnazija = high school).

The secondary school and the square on which the college and church are located are named after Fr. Roger Boscovich (Croatian: Ruđer Bošković), SJ (Society of Jesus [Jesuit]). Bošković (1711-87), born in Dubrovnik, was the college’s most illustrious alumnus, although he studied and worked mostly at the Roman College (Rome). He was a famous astronomer, mathematician, physicist, geometer, and philosopher, a fellow of the British Royal Society and a Jesuit priest. After the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, he was invited by King Louis XV of France to become Director of Optics for the Marine, an office established for him personally. Toward the end of his life, he returned to Italy. He was the first to work out a scientific approach to an atomic theory and specialized in solar eclipses. It was his personal credibility that moved Pope Benedict XIV to remove Copernicus from the Index of Forbidden Books. He was honored on a whole series of eight Croatian postage stamps in 1943 and by stamps of Yugoslavia in 1960 and 1987 (the bicentenary of his death).

Dubrovnik: Jesuit College entrance, with façade of Church of St. Ignatius at right (By Philos Own Work https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Klasi%C4%8Dna_gimnazija_Dubrovnik.jpg).

11:40 AM – Dubrovnik: Church of St. Ignatius - façade.

At a right angle to the Jesuit College building stands the façade of the Church of St. Ignatius (Croatian: Crkva sv. Ignacija), one of the finest examples of typical Baroque in Croatia. In 1555, the Bishop of Dubrovnik, because he and the people were dissatisfied with Italian scholars, asked the newly founded Jesuit order to open a college in the city. Nothing came of this until 1652,when the Jesuit Rector of Dubrovnik embarked on a project to regulate the urban structure of this suburb in the oldest section of the city and to provide enough free space to begin building the Jesuit church and college. The Jesuit architect’s plans were finalized by 1703; the church was completed by 1725 and opened in 1729.

The Church of St. Ignatius has a single nave with side chapels and a semicircular divided apse. The belfry is home to the oldest bell in Dubrovnik, cast in 1355. The interior is decorated with magnificent Baroque frescoes with scenes from the life of St. Ignatius.

11:32 AM – Dubrovnik: Church of St. Ignatius – view from rear of nave to main altar in apse, with MT in aisle in foreground.

Dubrovnik: Church of St. Ignatius – view from rear of nave to main altar in apse (By Sailko - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43269705).

MT 11:26 AM – Dubrovnik: Church of St. Ignatius – main altar in apse.

11:34 AM – Dubrovnik: Church of St. Ignatius – stained glass window of Virgin and Child at rear of nave, up high (telephoto 156 mm).

Dubrovnik: Church of St. Ignatius – grotto of St. Bernadette and apparition of Virgin Mary at Lourdes, from 1885 (By Sailko - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43269708).

MT 11:27 AM – Dubrovnik: Church of St. Ignatius – grotto of St. Bernadette and apparition of Virgin Mary at Lourdes, viewed through bars.

Then we headed back to Luža Square on our way to the shuttle boat in the Old Port.

11:49 AM – Dubrovnik: Luža Square – left to right: Sponza Palace (behind placeholder for Orlando Column, under repair), Fishmarket Gate, bell tower, and steps of Church of St. Blaise (mostly hidden behind church steps is the rounded niche of Little Onofrio’s Fountain).

Dubrovnik: Little Onofrio’s Fountain on Luža Square (By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada - Croatia-01611 - Small fountain, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66934695).

The Little Onofrio’s Fountain (Croatian: Mala Onofrijeva Fontana), built in 1440-42 with phenomenal Gothic decoration, is located in Luža Square at the opposite (east) end of the Stradun on the wall under the bell tower in a niche on the façade of the building of the City Guard. The reliefs of nude baby boys on the octagonal sides of the fountain pool, the playful dolphins with shells, the masks dispensing water, and the kneeling boys on the water pole reveal the influence of Renaissance, although with reminiscences of Gothic style. In the Middle Ages, it had a religious significance too. It was used only by Christians, while nearby was the so-called Jewish Fountain that was used by Dubrovnik’s Jews. After the fall of the Republic of Ragusa, the Jewish Fountain was moved to Brsalje street, in the Pile district west of the Old Town, where it stands today.

To get to the Old Port, we went through a passageway (not the Fishmarket Gate), emerging at the other (south) end of the Arsenal. (We would later learn that this was called the Ponta Gate [Port Gate].)

MT 11:41 AM – Dubrovnik: Don by rounded arch of passageway to Old Port (not Fishmarket Gate).

From the Old Port, we again saw the outside of the Fishmarket Gate, where we had entered at the start of the “Land” part of our shore excursion.

11:50 AM – Dubrovnik: outside of Fishmarket Gate.

11:50 AM – Dubrovnik: statue of St. Blaise above outside of Fishmarket Gate (telephoto 105 mm).

11:56 AM – Dubrovnik: view, from Old Port, of bell tower of Dominican Monastery, and stanchion of cable car system on hill in fog (look carefully and you can see a gondola just above the far edge of the city) (mild telephoto 44 mm).

11:56 AM (Cropped) – Dubrovnik: stanchion of cable car system in fog on hill and a gondola just above the far edge of the city (mild telephoto 44 mm).

The shuttle boat departed the port at 12 noon.

12:11 PM – Dubrovnik: view, from shuttle boat (bow at left) in Old Port, of Arsenal (3 arches) with bell tower on Luža Square behind it and Fishmarket Gate just to its right, Minčeta Tower at high point on horizon, bell tower of Dominican Monastery, and Fortress of St. Luke at far right.

MT 12:11 PM – Dubrovnik: view, from shuttle boat in Old Port, of Arsenal (3 arches), Minčeta Tower at high point on horizon (at left), bell tower of Dominican Monastery, Fortress of St. Luke, and part of Revelin fortress at far right.

12:11 PM – Dubrovnik: view, from shuttle boat in Old Port, of two bridges, on either side of Revelin Fortress, connecting parts of fortifications.

12:12 PM – Dubrovnik: view, from shuttle boat at mouth of Old Port, of Fortress of St. John (far left), Arsenal (3 arches), bell tower on Luža Square, with tower of Franciscan Monastery behind it and Fishmarket Gate just to its right, Minčeta Tower at high point on horizon, and bell tower of Dominican Monastery (far right).

At the mouth of the harbor, we again passed the Fortress of St. John.

12:12 PM – Dubrovnik: Fortress of St. John.

12:14 PM – Dubrovnik: southern city walls, west of Fortress of St. John, with swimming area marked off outside the wall.

12:15 PM – Dubrovnik: further around southern city walls, with step leading down to another swimming area outside wall; southwest corner of city wall at far left.

MT 12:08 PM – Dubrovnik: still further around southern city walls, with another swimming area marked off outside the wall, with railings of steps harder to see; southwest corner of city wall at far left.

12:15 PM – Dubrovnik: still further around southern city walls, with another swimming area marked off outside the wall, with railings of steps harder to see; southwest corner of city wall at left.

12:16 PM – Dubrovnik: southwest corner of city walls, with Fortress of St. Lawrence on next point of land.

12:16 PM – Dubrovnik: looking back at southwest corner of city walls, with part of Pile Harbor at far left.

12:17 PM – Dubrovnik: Pile Harbor, with western city walls on right; fog still on hill in background (mild telephoto 44 mm).

12:43 PM – Dubrovnik: view of suspension bridge in distance.

12:44 PM – Dubrovnik: suspension bridge with bow of MSC Musica cruise ship; also in the Cruise Port, out of sight to right of that ship, was the Viking Star (mild telephoto 63 mm).

12:44 PM – Dubrovnik: suspension bridge with rest of MSC Musica cruise ship; also in the Cruise Port, out of sight to right of that ship, was the Viking Star (telephoto 72 mm).

12:47 PM – Dubrovnik: view, from bow of shuttle boat, of suspension bridge with MSC Musica cruise ship and bow of smaller Viking Star in the Cruise Port.

12:59 PM – Dubrovnik: shuttle boat unloading passengers near Viking Star in the Cruise Port.

12:59 PM – Dubrovnik: shuttle boat unloading passengers near Viking Star in the Cruise Port.

We got back on the Viking Star around 1:15 and had a quick lunch in the World Café. At this  time we had to decide whether we also wanted to go on the “Dubrovnik Walking Tour” (included) at 2 pm, on which we had also reserved spaces.

The “Dubrovnik Land & Sea” excursion had met at 8:45 am and was advertised as lasting 4 hours. The “Sea” part was 9:15 to 10:08 and 12 noon to 12:59 pm (total of almost 2 hours). Of the “Land” part, lasting from 10:08 to 12 noon (just under 2 hours), of which only 10:08 to 11:00 am (less than 1 hour) was with the guide. So we decided to also do the “Dubrovnik Walking Tour” in the afternoon, which we had also reserved, just in case.

Because we did two shore excursions on the same day, we have divided the material into two blog posts of more manageable size, the second one called “2 Aug 19 Dubrovnik, Croatia PM.” Another reason is that the two excursions involved seeing some different things and also some of the same things but in different sequence and different contexts.