Old Port Maritime History

The Lazareti are a long, narrow row of ten interconnected stone halls separated by five courtyards, sitting just outside the city walls. They were constructed by the Republic of Ragusa between fifteen ninety and sixteen forty-two to serve…

St. Luke's Tower stands at the edge of the harbor as a compact, rhomboid-shaped stone structure that defines the northern boundary of the old city's defenses. Dating back to at least the thirteenth century, the tower took its name from the…

The Sponza Palace is defined by its ornate, arched porch and a façade that blends Gothic pointed windows with Renaissance proportions. Built between fifteen sixteen and fifteen twenty-two by the architect Paskoje Miličević, it was designed…

Gradska kavana Arsenal occupies a massive stone building at Pred Dvorom one, identifiable by the tall arches opening onto the Luža square. This space sits between the Sponza Palace and the Rector’s Palace, serving as an all-day café and…

The Old Port is a basin tucked tightly against the eastern city walls, framed by the stone arches of the former Arsenal and guarded by the fortress of Saint John. It does not look like a wide-open harbor but rather a controlled, enclosed…

The Maritime Museum occupies the upper two floors of Saint John Fortress, a massive stone structure that anchors the southeastern corner of the Old Town. This fortress once protected the entrance to the city’s harbor, and its thick walls…

Porporela is a stone pier and breakwater that curves out from the eastern edge of the Dubrovnik Old Port, identifiable by its iconic red lighthouse known locally as the Red Feral. Built during the late nineteenth century while the city was…