Dubrovnik History

Ragusa (Raugia) was founded in the 7th century on a rocky island named Laus, which provided shelter for Latin refugees from the nearby city of Epidaurus, today's Cavtat also Ragusavecchia. Some time later a settlement of Slavic people grew at the foot of the forested Srđ hill. This settlement gives to the city its Slavic name "Dubrovnik". The strip of wetland between Ragusa and Dubrava was reclaimed in the 12th century, unifying the city around the newly-made plaza (today Placa or Stradun). The plaza was paved in 1468 and reconstructed after the earthquake of 1667. The city was fortified and two harbours were built on each side of the isthmus. From its establishment in the 7th century, the town was under the protection of the Byzantine Empire. After the Crusades, Ragusa/Dubrovnik came under the sovereignty of Venice (1205–1358), and by the Peace Treaty of Zadar in 1358, it became part of the Hungaro-Croatian reign. Between the 14th century and 1808 Ragusa ruled itself as a free state. The Republic had its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries, when its thalassocracy rivaled that of the Republic of Venice and other Italian maritime republics. The Republic of Dubrovnik received its own Statutes as early as 1272, statutes which, among other things, codified Roman practice and local customs. The Statutes included prescriptions for town planning and the regulation of quarantine (for hygienic The Republic was very inventive regarding laws and institutions that were developed very early: Medical service was introduced in 1301 The first pharmacy (still working) was opened in 1317 A refuge for old people was opened in 1347 The first quarantine hospital (Lazarete) was opened in 1377 Slave trading was abolished in 1418 The orphanage was opened in 1432 The water supply system (20 kilometers) was constructed in 1436 The city was ruled by aristocracy that formed two city councils. As usual for the time, they maintained a strict system of social classes. The republic abolished the slave trade early in the 15th century and valued liberty highly. The city successfully balanced its sovereignty between the interests of Venice and the Ottoman Empire for centuries. The economic wealth of the Republic was partially the result of the land it developed, but especially of the seafaring trade it did. With the help of skilled diplomacy, Ragusa's merchants traveled lands freely, and on the sea the city had a huge fleet of merchant ships (argosy) that traveled all over the world. From these travels they founded some settlements, from India to America, and brought parts of their culture and vegetation home with them. One of the keys to success was not conquering, but trading and sailing under a white flag with the word freedom (Latin: Libertas) prominently featured on it. That flag was adopted when slave trading was abolished in 1418. Many Conversos (Marranos) — Jews from Spain and Portugal — were attracted to the city. In May, 1544, a ship landed there filled exclusively with Portuguese refugees, as Balthasar de Faria reported to King John. During this time there worked in the city one of the most famous cannon and bell founders of his time: Ivan Rabljanin (Magister Johannes Baptista Arbensis de la Tolle). The Republic gradually declined after a crisis of Mediterranean shipping — and especially a catastrophic earthquake in 1667 that killed over 5000 citizens, including the Rector, leveling most of the public buildings — ruined the well-being of the Republic. In 1699 the Republic sold two patches of its territory to the Ottomans in order to avoid terrestrial borderline, with advancing Venetian forces. In 1806 the city surrendered to French forces, as that was the only way to cut a month's long siege by the Russian-Montenegrin fleets (during which 3000 cannonballs fell on the city). At first Napoleon demanded only free passage for his troopspromising not to occupy the territory and stressing that the French were friends of the Ragusans. Later, however, French forces blockaded the harbours, forcing the government to give in and let French troops enter the city. On this day, all flags and coats of arms above the city walls were painted black as a sign of grief. In 1808, Marshal Marmont abolished the republic and integrated its territory into the Illyrian provinces. [edit] Austrian rule When the Habsburg Empire gained these provinces after the 1815 Congress of Vienna, the new imperial authorities installed a bureaucratic administration, which retained the essential framework of the Italian-speaking system. It introduced a series of modifications intended to centralize, albeit slowly, the bureaucratic, tax, religious, educational, and trade structures. Unfortunately for the local residents, these centralization strategies, which were intended to stimulate the economy, largely failed. And once the personal, political and economic trauma of the Napoleonic Wars had been overcome, new movements began to form in the region, calling for a political reorganization of the Adriatic along national lines. The combination of these two forces—a flawed Habsburg administrative system and new national movements claiming ethnicity as the founding block towards a community—created a particularly perplexing problem; for Dalmatia was a province ruled by the German-speaking, centralizing Habsburg monarchy, with Italian-speaking elites that dominated a general population consisting of a Croatian, Catholic Slav majority and strong Serb Orthodox minority. Though always an unreliable estimate[citation needed], census takers in 1846 counted 16,000 Italians, 320,000 Croatians and 80,000 Serbs. In 1815 the former Ragusan Government, i.e. its noble assembly, met for the last time in the ljetnikovac in Mokošica. Once again heavy efforts were undertaken to reestablish the Republic however this time it was all in vain. After fall of the Republic most of the aristocracy died out or emigrated overseas. Others were recognized by Austrian Empire. In 1848, Croatian Assembly (Sabor) published People's Requests in which they requested among other things abolition of serfdom and the unification of Dalmatia with rest of Croatian lands (primarily with Austro-Hungarian Kingdom of Croatia). Dubrovnik municipality was the most outspoken of all Dalmatian communes in its support for unification with Croatia. A letter was sent to Zagreb with pledges to work on this idea. In 1849, Dubrovnik continued to lead Dalmatian cities in the struggle for unification. A large-scale campaign was launched in the local paper L'Avvenire (The Future) based on a clearly formulated programme: the federal system for Habsburg territories, inclusion of Dalmatia into united Croatia and Slavic brotherhood. In the same year, first issue of the Dubrovnik almanac appeared, Flower of the National Literature (Dubrovnik, cvijet narodnog knjizevstva), in which Petar Preradoviæ published his noted poem "To Dubrovnik". This and other literary and journalistic texts, which continued to be published, contributed to awakening of national consciousness reflected in efforts to introduce Croatian language into schools and offices, and to promote Croatian books. The Emperor Franz Joseph brought the so-called Imposed Constitution which prohibited unification of Dalmatia and Croatia and also any further political activity with this end in view. The political struggle of Dubrovnik to be united with Croatia, which was intense throughout 1848 and 1849, did not succeed at that time. In 1861 the Dalmatian Assembly met for the first time, with representatives from Ragusa. Representatives of Cattaro (now Kotor) came to join the struggle for unification with Croatia. The citizens of Ragusa gave them a festive welcome, flying Croatian flags from ramparts, and exhibiting slogan: Ragusa with Cattaro. The people of Cattaro elected a delegation to go to Vienna; Ragusa nominated Niko Puciæ (National Party). Niko Puciæ went to Vienna to demand not only the unification of Dalmatia with Croatia, but also the unification of all Croatian territories under one common Assembly. Austrian rule and Austro-Hungarian rule which followed lasted for more than a century and were typified by the motto of the world powers of that time: Divide et impera (Divide and rule). Austrian policy of denationalizing the Dalmatian coasts and favoring the immigrant Italian minority left its mark in the political division of the population as best expressed in the political parties: the Croatian People's Party and the Autonomous Party (Conte Francesco Borelli (*1810 +1884) said: we are slavs for nationality but italian for culture (the dalmatian were born to the sea (adriatic sea).... the autonomist want a multicultural region, with respect for the ancient italian roots and the slavs tradition, about the Dalmatia destiny, they deny the unification with Croatia, because Dalmatia had different roots and multicultural traditions: croatian catholics, serbian orthodox, serbian-croat muslims, italian dalmatian, the people were bilingual, spoken slavonian (dialect modern serbo-croat) and Italian (istrian, dalmatian-veneto dialect), etc.). This political division also had its roots in class, as the greater part of the autonomous party, which wanted Dalmatian autonomy withinin frame of Austria and was against joining the other parts of Croatia, as wanted by Croatian People's Party, belonged to the richer strata of officials and administrators. In 1889, Serbian political circle in Dubrovnik supported Baron Francesco Ghetaldi-Gondola, candidate of Autonomous Party, in 1890 election to Dalmatian Diet.[3] Following year during the local government election, Autonomous Party with Serbian Party won municipal election in Dubrovnik. Francesco Ghetaldi-Gondola was founded the Societa Philately in 4 December 1890. In 1893, the minister of the city, Baron Francesco Ghetaldi-Gondola, opened the monument for Ivan Gunduliæ in Piazza Gunduliæ (Gondola). [edit] Yugoslavia (1921–1991) With fall of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the city was incorporated into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia). City name was officially changed from Ragusa to Dubrovnik. In World War II, Dubrovnik became part of Independent State of Croatia, even if occupied by Italian army first, and by German army after September 1943. In October 1944 Tito's partisans entered Dubrovnik, that became consequently part of Communist Yugoslavia. Soon after their arrival into the city, Partisans sentenced approximately 78 citizens to death without trial, including a Catholic priest.[4] [edit] Breakdown of Yugoslavia

Arrival to Dubrovnik by ferryboat.

There is a ferry service to Croatia from several Italian Adriatic ports ( Bari, Trieste, Ancona, Pescara) run by four companies: Jadrolinija, SEM, SNAV and Adriatica Navigazione. Ferries are lot more confortable than buses. The historic old town of Dubrovnik is just 3 Km away with easy access to the international and national ferry harbour of Dubrovnik, Gruz, wich connects the mainland with all the islands ( Mljet, Korcula, Lopud, Sipan and Kolocep), with all the most cities on the coast ( Rijeka, Split and Pula) and with Bari, Italy.. More information about the ships and departure times can be found on the Jadrolinija web page.

Arrival to Dubrovnik by bus.

There are busses arriving every day from different destinations. Almost all busses pass Split on their way to Dubrovnik. Several departures every day from Zagreb, Rijeka, Split...to Dubrovnik will completely satisfy your needs. From Dubrovnik there are busses to all places in the county. The busses to bigger places leave every hour, and those driving to smaller towns and villages depart several times a day. If you go to places, which are placed along the Adriatic Highway, You can also use the intercity busses. More information about departure times is available on the web pages of bus station Zagreb.Umjesto ovog teksta unesite tekst linka (npr. Ranieri agency)

Arrival to Dubrovnik by aeroplane.

The easiest way to get to Croatia and also to Dubrovnik is by aeroplane. Croatia Airlines is the only carrier operating domestic flights, Zagreb is the hub with regular flights to Brac, Dubrovnik, Pula, Split and Zadar. Most international flights end in Zagreb with a connection on to Dubrovnik. There are two to three flights a day between Dubrovnik and Zagreb and they take one hour. Dubrovnik's airport is situated 24 Km east of the city of Dubrovnik, close to the village of Cilipi. You can find more information on arrivals and departures on the Airport Dubrovnik web page.

Getting Around Dubrovnik

Parking in Dubrovnik The Old Town is closed to traffic, but parking is available at the following locations: Pile Gate: 5 HRK per hour; Ploce Gate: 5 HRK per hour; North end of the city walls: 5 HRK per hour; Gruz Harbour: 4 HRK per hour or 25 HRK per day. Buses in Dubrovnik Dubrovnik’s public transport system is efficient; all neighborhoods in town are linked by bus. Buses begin running at 5 am and stop at midnight. The fare is 8 HRK if ticket is purchased in advance at a kiosk (Tisak) or 10 HRK if bought directly from the bus driver. Bus tickets are also available at the reception desks of most hotels, at most travel agencies, at the bus station, and at Pile Gate. From the bus station, take buses: 1a, 3, 6, or 9 to Pile Gate; 1a, 3, or 7b to Gruz Harbour; 5, 6, or 7b to Lapad and Babin Kuk. From Pile Gate, take buses: 1a or 3 to Gruz Harbour; 4 or 6 to Lapad; 6 to Babin Kuk.