Old Port Maritime History

The ten connected stone buildings of the Lazareti complex stand in a straight line, separated by internal courtyards that once served as a barrier against the plague. Built during the seventeenth century, the site acted as a quarantine…

The Luka Tower is a stout stone cylinder punctuating the harbor wall of the old city of Dubrovnik. Built in the late fifteenth century, the tower served as the eastern gate to the harbor, controlling the movement of goods and sailors…

The Sponza Palace catches the light with a long row of pointed Gothic windows on the upper floor, sitting in sharp contrast to the rounded, heavy arches of the ground level loggia. Built in the early sixteenth century, the palace served as…

The Gradska kavana Arsenal sits inside the medieval stone walls of the old city, housed in a structure built in the sixteenth century to serve as the naval shipyard for the Republic of Ragusa. While the heavy arches once protected galleys…

The Old Port of Dubrovnik is defined by the Porporela breakwater, a massive stone arm that curves out to calm the Adriatic swells. For centuries, this harbor served as the primary gateway for the Republic of Ragusa, where merchant ships…

The Maritime Museum occupies the thick stone walls of Saint John Fortress, guarding the harbor entrance with a series of heavy casemates. Inside, the exhibits trace the rise of the Dubrovnik Republic as a global shipping power. A…

Porporela is the long, curved concrete breakwater that reaches out into the Adriatic Sea just below the stone walls of the old city. Built in eighteen seventy-three, it serves as the essential shield for the Old Port, calming the violent…