Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik (Italian Ragusa) is an old city on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Croatia, positioned at {{coor dm|42|39|N|18|04|E|}} at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist resorts, a seaport and the center of the Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its population was 43,770 in 2001, 49,728 in 1991, and the majority of its citizens are Croats with 88.39% (2001 census). Dubrovnik is nicknamed "Pearl of the Adriatic".

History

See also Republic of Dubrovnik.

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Dubrovnik was founded by joining two small towns: Laus, a town on a small island off the southern Dalmatian coast, which provided shelter for the Italic refugees from the nearby city of Epidaurum (today Cavtat); and Dubrava, a settlement of Slavic immigrants at the foot of the forested Sr? hill.

Related Topics:
Dalmatia - Epidaurum - Cavtat - Slavic

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The strip of wetland between the two parts of the town, was reclaimed as a landfill in 12th century, unifying the city around the newly made plaza (today Placa or Stradun). Placa was paved in 1468 and reconstructed after the earthquake of 1667. The city was fortified and two harbors were built on each side of the isthmus.

Related Topics:
12th century - 1468 - 1667 - Fort - Harbor - Isthmus

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From its establishment in the 7th century AD, the town was under the protection of the Byzantine Empire. After the Crusades, Ragusa came under the sovereignty of Venice (1205–1358), and by the Peace Treaty of Zadar in 1358 it became part of the Hungarian-Croatian Kingdom.

Related Topics:
7th century - Byzantine Empire - Crusades - Venice - 1205 - 1358 - Zadar - Hungarian - Croatia

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Between 14th century and 1808 Ragusa ruled itself as a free state named Respublica Ragusina (Ragusan republic), also known as Republic of Dubrovnik(This is higly disputed, since the area was settled by Italians, not Slavs). The Ragusan Republic reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Ragusan thalassocracy rivalled the Venetian Republic and other Italian maritime republics.

Related Topics:
14th - 1808 - Republic of Dubrovnik - 15th - 16th - Thalassocracy - Venetian Republic

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The city was ruled by aristocracy that formed two city Councils (Vije?e). They maintained a strict system of social classes, but they also abolished slave trade early in the 15th century and highly valued liberty. The city successfully balanced its sovereignty between the interests of Venice and the Ottoman Empire for centuries.

Related Topics:
Aristocracy - Social class - Slave trade - Ottoman Empire

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The Republic gradually declined after a crisis of Mediterranean shipping and especially a catastrophic earthquake of 1667. In 1699 it was forced to sell two patches of its territory to the Ottomans in order to protect itself from the advancing Venetian forces.

Related Topics:
Mediterranean - 1667 - 1699

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Its final demise was caused not by Venice, but by Napoleon's forces, which conquered first the Venetian territories and then the Ragusan Republic in 1806. In 1808, Marshal Marmont abolished the Republic of Ragusa and amalgamated its territory into the Illyrian provinces.

Related Topics:
Napoleon - 1806 - 1808 - Marmont - Illyrian provinces

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In 1815, by the resolution of Congress of Vienna, Ragusa was annexed to Austria (from 1867 on Austria-Hungary), and remained in the Kingdom of Dalmatia until 1918.

Related Topics:
1815 - Congress of Vienna - Austria - Austria-Hungary - Kingdom of Dalmatia - 1918

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During all its history its official name was 'Ragusa'. In 1919 it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia from 1929), and the name of this old city was changed in order to sound more Slavic - Dubrovnik. Actually, all the offical names of the Venetian towns on the Dalmatian coast were changed to reflect their new masters.

Related Topics:
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes - Yugoslavia - 1929

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At the very beginning of the World War II, Dubrovnik was first part of the Independent State of Croatia. From April 1941 until September 1943, Dubrovnik was occupied by the Italian army and after that by the Germans. In October 1944, the Partisans liberated Dubrovnik from the Germans and it became part of the second Yugoslavia in 1945.

Related Topics:
World War II - Independent State of Croatia - 1941 - 1943 - 1944 - Partisans - Second Yugoslavia - 1945

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Despite the 1970s demilitarization of the old town by the Yugoslav People's Army in an attempt to prevent it from becoming a casualty of war, following Croatia's independence in 1991, the same army bombarded the old city on December 6, 1991, causing great damage. The rest of the city was less fortunate in the siege that lasted from October 1991 until May 1992. Casualty estimates in the conflict on this area vary. Some Serbian sources put it at 88 on both sides, while the Croatian Red Cross counted 114 killed civilians.

Related Topics:
Yugoslav People's Army - Croatia - 1991 - December 6 - 1992 - Red Cross

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Following the end of the war, a major rebuilding project led by the Croatian authorities and UNESCO began. They rebuilt the city in the ancient style to keep its sense of beauty and history. As well as rebuilding damaged buildings, surviving structures were strengthened against earthquakes. As of 2005, most damaged buildings in the city have been repaired.

Related Topics:
UNESCO - As of 2005

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