IN DEFENSE OF DUBROVNIK

HITTING THE WALL

The Walls of Dubrovnik have done their job extremely well. The thick stone walls have protected the citizens of Ragusa, the original name for Dubrovnik, for centuries. The walls in some places are 25 feet thick and have never been breached by a hostile army. This lovely city has survived sieges and attacks by Saracens and Ottomans and Venetians and the Russians during the Napoleonic Wars and Yugoslav forces during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991-92. The walls have even survived a massive earthquake in 1667. There are four fortresses protecting the wall and the old city of Dubrovnik: Bokar, Minceta, the Fortress of St. John and Revelin. The city and the walls are added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 and to this day the walls of Dubrovnik continue to serve the city as they are the greatest tourist attraction.

Coffee at Leone Trattoria

We decided the hit the wall early today to avoid a crush of tourists and the heat. The entrances open at 8 a.m. and after having some coffee at Leone Trattoria directly across from our Sobe at the top of Ulica Boscoviceva and then another at Congo on the Stradun we were sufficiently caffeinated and ready to climb the stairs at the Pile Gate.

On a side note. Our two Café Lattes at Leone Trattoria were just 30 kn and more than double, 70 kn, on the Stradun.

Still very early the Stradun was empty and though the sky was a perfect blue it was not yet hot. It’s expensive to climb the walls at 200 kn each, or a bit more than $30. Only Kunas are accepted, or the use of a credit card. Only one entry is allowed per ticket; one cannot leave the wall and reenter without another paying another admission. Even at the early start time there were plenty of people moving at several speeds, but all were thankfully in the same direction; the route is counter clockwise. At times the parapets are too narrow or too steep and only one direction is smart. At the forts, there was quite a mash up whenever there were people shuffling up and down stairs at the same time, slowing movement to a crawl or even a standstill.

 

An empty Stadun
(wearing an official
Vacations From Home
T-Shirt)

The initial climb to the parapet was especially steep, but as we stopped to catch our breath, we were rewarded with spectacular views of Minceta Fort in one direction above us and the Pile Gate below. Minceta Fortress is the highest point of the wall and is powerful and majestic, but because of the direction we had to travel it would have to be at the tail end of the roughly 1.3-mile historical hike. From our perch, we watched rented kayaks paddle into the Adriatic from the seaward side of the Pile Gate before moving on to marvel over the distinctive terra cotta roofs of Dubrovnik, jealously eye her secret gardens inside the walls and breathing the salted air from the sea. There were several refreshment stands and cool shade respites from the heat, and a couple of first aid stations dotted around the walls. It can get very hot in the sun, but we were blessed with a mild day for our climb and were graced often by cooling breezes when we neared the harbor, halfway through the walk

Our room from the wall

We lingered above the Buza Gate and our Sobe was almost close enough to touch and here the wall climbed towards Minceta Fortress, the highest point and it was here with the sun getting fiercer was where I finally broke a sweat. Through this whole latter stretch of the landside there was only one refreshment stand and she was also renting cushions to sit on the wall. On the seaward side there were tables and umbrellas providing shade, but nothing protecting us from the sun on this side. It was hot and the wall was getting crowded and still we lingered at points and photographed everything and nodded at interesting things and marveled at this magnificent strong wall. It was worth the discomfort and the 200 kunas.

The wall during July is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Looking back at Minceta Fortress

When we descended from the parapet the entrance at the Pile Gate was choked with people trying to get in and the Stradun was also bursting with people. It was a shock to see so many people because when we climbed the walls just a few hours earlier this main thoroughfare was empty. Just across from the entrance to the wall we filled our water bottle with cool refreshing water from the ornate Onofrio fountain. The fountain was built in the 1430 as part of the city’s dedication to providing fresh water to her citizens. There are 16 “maskerons” or carved stone faces with 16 spigots sprouting water. Yesterday when we first arrived in Dubrovnik, we were not sure about the fountain but after some research decided to try this free and invaluable resource.

Nike, our hostess at our Sobe told us about a little bar to have a great and inexpensive lunch of Balkan smoked ham and cheese sandwiches made with bread they baked themselves. Buffet Skola is literally just off the Stradun on Ulica Antuninska. It was an excellent and filling sandwich and altogether with a beer and a water and a very meager tip came out to 130 kn or just under $20.

Thanks for reading.