Dubrovnik, Medieval port city on Adriatic coast, Croatia
Dubrovnik is a walled town on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, its old center stretching behind thick stone ramparts interrupted by towers and fortifications. The main street Stradun divides the historic core and connects two city gates, while narrow lanes with stairs wind upward between limestone buildings.
Refugees from Epidaurus founded the settlement in the seventh century on a rocky island and built it into a trading republic that defended its independence between Byzantium and Venice. An earthquake in 1667 destroyed much of the town and triggered widespread reconstruction that shaped its current baroque appearance.
The city celebrates Saint Blaise every February with masses, processions, and ceremonial gatherings that bring residents dressed in traditional clothing through the streets. Performances of local klapa music, where men sing in tight harmonies without instruments, regularly take place in squares and narrow alleys, drawing both locals and visitors.
Most visitors walk the city walls to view the old town from above, but the route can be tiring in midday heat. The narrowest lanes remain calmer early in the morning and after sunset when large cruise groups are less present.
The water supply for the town came for centuries from an underground cistern system that collected rainwater beneath squares and streets and distributed it through ceramic pipes. Some of these cisterns still function today, storing water beneath Gundulićeva Poljana square and other parts of the old town.
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