Dr. Stefan Christmann

June 17, 2022November 19, 2022

Lovrijenac

The Lovrijenac fortress of Dubrovnik is located outside of the old town. From the Pile gate you can walk down to the old harbor and on the other side climb up the hill to the fortress. It’s steep but very much worth the effort, especially for wonderful pictures of the city. The fortress was built from the 11th century CE on to protect the city against attacks from the sea and from the land. The location of the fortress is breathtaking as it is standing solitary on a rock.

June 17, 2022November 20, 2022

Game of Thrones

Between 2011 and 2019 the TV show Game of Thrones (or short GoT), based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin caught the attention of people all around the world. It was the complex story of different houses fighting for the dominance on the fictious continent Westeros that attracted the viewers, but also the unusual characters that were beloved and hated. And the showrunners selected beautiful places to film the series for HBO, something that connected the TV series to reality.

June 17, 2022November 19, 2022

Rector’s palace

The Knežev dvor was once the seat of the republic of Regusa, the predecessor of Dubrovnik. When standing in front of the building and looking at the giant columns shaping the facade you can still today imagine how this was the center of power. It was first built in 1435 but had to be rebuilt several times due to wars and earthquakes.

June 17, 2022October 16, 2022

Silence

Street life in Dubrovnik can be very hectic with lots of hustle and bustle created by the high amount of tourists moving through the city. If you need a break and a little bit of silence there are two beautiful cloisters in the city center: the cloister of the Dominican Order (close to the Ploče gate) and the one of the Franciscans (close to the Pile gate). Get a ticket and enjoy a moment of relaxation.

June 17, 2022October 17, 2022

Kula Minčeta

The Minčeta tower is part of the city walls of Dubrovnik and one of the four fortresses protecting the city. It is the highest point of the city walls and offers amazing views on the ancient town. The impressive tower was built from 1319 on and was finished in 1464. The walls are six meters thick and unbeatable during the time when the tower was created and used. Using a staircase inside you can get to the top – for the best picture of the old town.

June 17, 2022October 10, 2022

How to play the game

Libertas (freedom), that is the motto of Dubrovnik and it is also the name of the company providing the local bus system. From 1910 to 1970 Dubrovnik also had a tramway system with orange tramways; the only thing that survived is the color which is now used for the buses. The network isn’t too large and therefore it is easy to hop around – especially as most routes stop at the city gates called Pile and Ploče (which give you direct access to the touristic highlights).

June 17, 2022November 30, 2022

DubrovnikCard

Like in every city visited by many tourists there is also a tourist card for Dubrovnik. It is available in many hotels and also at the tourist offices. You can buy the DubrovnikCard or Dubrovnik Pass for one day, three days or a whole week and it is worth the money. The card is your entrance to the city walls, the Franciscan monastery, the Rector’s Palace and different museums like the maritime museum, the ethnographic museum, the small but good natural history museum and the great museum of modern art.

June 17, 2022October 17, 2022

Walking on walls

The highlight #1 of every visit to Dubrovnik is a walk on the ancient city walls. It was built from the 8th century on and was very helpful during the many times the city was besieged – may it be by the Saracen, the Republic of Venice, the Mongols or the Crusaders. The city walls are around two kilometers long and offer amazing views from all sides on the UNESCO world heritage site.

June 16, 2022October 10, 2022

Hakuna matata

Since 1994 the official currency of Croatia is the Kuna (divided into 100 Lipa). The name dates back to the time when the fur of martens had been used as a currency – the Croatian word for marten is kuna. So you’re paying with martens in Croatia. 😉 But that will all end in 2023 when the Euro becomes the currency of the country. Fortunately the marten will stay – it is shown on the Croatian Euro coins.

June 16, 2022October 10, 2022

Hotel Petka

The hotel Petka at Dubrovnik is a special case: it is recommended in modern tourist guides, but looks rather old-fashioned. It is in the non-touristy harbor area but good for tourists, because it is close to the cruise boat harbor and the bus terminal. You can enjoy more normal Croatian life but you’ll always need to take a bus to get to the ancient city center.