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One of Britain’s most infamous melancholy poets, Lord Byron, christened the city of Dubrovnik ‘the pearl of the Adriatic’. It was afforded UNESCO heritage city status in 1979 and today this cosmopolitan destination offers a marvellous mixture of old and new; both in its architecture and also in its residents’ approach to 21st century life. The historic walled city, which encases closely-grouped red-roof buildings, is banned to motorised vehicles, allowing cafes, known as kavanas and shops to make use of the street to help sell their wares and exude an ambience not too different to that enjoyed by Byron on his grand tour of Europe in the early 19th century. But alongside that old charm brand new super chic hotels and fabulously presented wellness centres are also attracting tourists to this Croatian city in droves. Although understandably proud of their new developments Dubrovnik residents still revere their past and appreciate the importance it has in their everyday life. For example, any visitor in need of medication can visit a pharmacy found in the Franciscan monastery just inside the city walls that has been dispensing continuously since 1317, or if they prefer they could choose one of the ultra-modern pharmacies dotted throughout the town. The choice available between new and old is a prevalent and recurring theme throughout Dubrovnik. The stunning Franjo Tudman Bridge brings tourists into Dubrovnik by road. One major advantage that modern tourists have over Lord Byron at the time of his ‘Grand Tour’ is transport. Unfortunately for the poet and his peers that visited the city in the early 19th century there were no convenient two and a half hour flights to Dubrovnik, nor modern bridges to span the bays. In their day an international trip to this glorious city involved an arduous trek overland or a long journey by ship via the Straits of Gibraltar and onwards through the Mediterranean. The harbour and old city is little changed from Byron’s day, especially after being so extensively renovated in its original style following the Siege of Dubrovnik in the early 1990s. That is why it is so easy to imagine the impact the red-roofed, walled city perched on the beautiful Dalmatian coast made on visitors such as Byron and later George Bernard Shaw as they approached it from the sea. Indeed, it must have been spectacular for such a brooding individual as Byron to make so emphatic an exclamation of the city’s beauty. The information contained within this article is the opinion of the author and is intended purely for information and interest purposes only. It should not be used to make any decisions or take any actions. Any links are included for information purposes only.
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Flights to Dubrovnik, Lord Byron, George Bernard Shaw, Dalmatian, Franjo Tudman Bridge, Siege of Dubrovnik, Straits of Gibraltar,
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