Dubrovnik, city of the month

Dubrovnik and music		History		Architecture
57th DUBROVNIK SUMMER FESTIVAL 10 July – 25 August A member of the European Festival Association since 1956 Dubrovnik Summer Festival was founded in 1950 and ever since has been the most celebrated cultural event in Croatia. The Festival repertoire reflects the ambience and history of the city. Performances, plays, concerts and recitals are set in its architectual and natural surrounding, providing unique decors. The Festival hosts authentic open-air performances that are impossible to perform elsewhere without losing the sense of originality. The following summer, during the forty-five beautiful evenings, Dubrovnik squares and churches, streets and public gardens will once again become a country for more than 2000 artists worldwide. Choose - if possible between Shlomo Mintz and Jan Fabre, Marjana Lipovšek or Gonzal Rubalcaba, New London Consort or Uto Ughi, China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra or Russian Symphony Orchestra, sir James Galway or Radovan Vlatkovic... Dubrovnik Summer Festival Od Sigurate 1 20000 Dubrovnik - Croatie Tel+385 (0)20 326 100 - Fax+385 (0)20 326 116 www.dubrovnik-festival.hr Histria Festival 1 Jully - 18 August Kandlerova 14 52100 Pula - Croatia www.histriafestival.com Croatian National Opera Theater Trg marsala Tita 15 Zagreb - Croatia www.hnk.hr		Dubrovnik is in southern Dalmatia, on the Adriatic coast. It has a population of approximately 45,800. This medieval city is renowned worldwide for its architectural riches. In the 7th century the inhabitants of Epidaurum (today Cavtat) were driven out by the Lombard invasions in Dalmatia and they then settled on a rock which they named Ragusa. The town came under the protection of Byzantium and became a major trading post. In the 12th century, Ragusa and Dubrovnik (a nearby settlement) merged to form Dubrovnik and a powerful economic town was created, trading with east and west and possessing a significant fleet. A characteristic feature of Dubrovnik is its ramparts (13th and 15th century) protecting the town centre which is entered from the suburbs through the Pile and Ploce Gates. During the Crusades, Dubrovnik came under the control of Venice from 1205 to 1358. With the Peace Treaty of Zadar in 1358, Dubrovnik became a province of the Hungarian Empire. Dubrovnik enjoyed its heyday in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it became an independent province in 1526 with a flourishing economy. The year 1667 left a profound mark on the city, an earthquake claimed the lives of over 5000 people and put Dubrovnik in a difficult economic position. Furthermore, it suffered French domination from 1806 onwards by Napoleon’s troops and the Republic of Dubrovnik was abolished by Marshal Marmont in 1808. In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, Dubrovnik was ceded to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Dubrovnik was incorporated into Yugoslavia at the end of the First World War. Dubrovnik became a World Heritage Site in 1979. In 1991 during the war that raged on the Adriatic coast of Yugoslavia, Dubrovnik suffered a great deal of bombing, but it has been restored to its full glory with the help of foreign aid. Croatia achieved independence on 8 October 1991. Today Croatia is a unitary Republic with a parliamentary democracy led by the head of state Stjepan Mesic.		Baroque: - Synagogue - Staircase with balustrade of the Atrium - Façade and staircase of the Rector’s Palace Italian Baroque: St Blaise Church (1715), dominated by an oval dome, façade decorated with four Corinthian columns. Roman Baroque: Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin. Gothic-Renaissance: - Dominican Monastery (14th c.) - Rector’s Palace (15th c.) - Sponza Palace (16th c.) Gothic: Pile Gate (1466) Renaissance: Onofrio Fountain (1438)

Some Highlights

In the surrounding area

The old town (Stari Grad): marble squares, sloping cobbled streets, tall houses, monasteries, churches, palaces, fountains and museums are carved from the same pale-coloured stone, Stradun is the city’s main street, crossing it from Pile Gate to Loggia Square.

Dubrovnik’s Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin of was rebuilt between 1672 and 1713 on the ruins of a Romanesque church built, according to legend, with the help of gifts from Richard the Lionheart who was shipwrecked on his way back from the Holy Land and found refuge in Dubrovnik.

The Dubrovnik synagogue is the oldest in Europe still in operation after the one in Prague. It stands on Zudioska street (street of the Jews), to the north of Stradun. It is a 14th-century building with a Baroque interior dating from 1652 (Torah, fabrics, gold work...). The presence of Jews in Dubrovnik is first mentioned in 1324, but the greatest numbers arrived at the end of the 15th century following their expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula.

The Franciscan Monastery (1317) has a cloister of finely sculpted Romanesque arcades and columns and contains one of the three oldest pharmacies in Europe.

The Gothic-Renaissance style Rector’s Palace includes splendid capitals on the main façade and a Baroque staircase in its atrium. This former seat of political power of the Republic of Dubrovnik today houses the history department of the Museum of Dubrovnik.

The Dominican Monastery dates from the 14th century. Its austere appearance is more reminiscent of a fortress than a monastery. Its architecture is Gothic-Renaissance in style.

The island of Split
The St Domnius (Sveti Dujam) Cathedral of Split, on the Dalmatian coast, is the oldest cathedral in the world in terms of its architecture. Indeed, its nave and apse are none other than the former mausoleum of Diocletian built around the end of the 3rd century. It was converted into a cathedral in 650 by Archbishop John of Ravenna who placed in it relics of the holy martyrs Domnius (Dujam) and Anastasius (Stas). Only the campanile, nowadays the symbol of Split, was built between the 13th and 14th centuries. The irony of history is that Emperor Diocletian remains in peoples’ memories as one of the most ferocious persecutors of Christians...

The island of Mljet is at the southernmost tip of Croatia, west of Dubrovnik, the most famous holiday region of Croatia. The National Park of the same name occupies the western part of the island. Many people believe this to be the most beautiful island in the whole Adriatic. The features of the Park are its two deepwater bays which are connected to the open sea by very narrow channels known as the “Big Lake” and “Little Lake”, as well as its luxuriant and dense Mediterranean vegetation. Mljet is distinctive for its rich cultural heritage. The imposing Benedictine monastery, whose construction began in the 12th century is the finest such example. The monastery stands on a small island in the middle of the Big Lake and is surrounded by a Mediterranean style park.

The island of Hvar is certainly the most beautiful in architectural terms. At Stari Grad, visit the 13th-century Church of St John. Archaeological excavations have revealed that it was built on top of a 5th-century religious shrine. In this same small town, you can visit the home of Petar Hektorovic, a 16th-century man of letters.

Cavtat: here a perfectly conserved ancient wreck at a depth of 27 m. has been turned into an underwater museum.

Neretva Delta: the "Croatian California", with its citrus orchards and one of the most important bird reserves in Europe.

The 14 islands of the Elaphites, the most important of which are Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan, form an exquisitely beautiful archipelago.

The Plitvice National Park (1979)
Plitvice has sixteen lakes of magical colours. Various geological processes have led to the formation of caves, cliffs and waterfalls of incomparable beauty.

The little town of Porec has several excellent Early Christian monuments. Among them the superb basilica built in the 6th century at the behest of Bishop Euphrasius. It adjoins an atrium, a baptistery and a bishop’s palace. The complex is an invaluable testimony to the birth of Christianity in Croatia.

Food & Drink				Festivals, Traditional customs
Fish, crustaceans and shellfish: grilled buzara (a fish recipe in a special white wine and olive oil sauce) gregada (a kind of bouillabaisse or fish stew). Squid (lignje): grilled (na zaru), fried, stuffed (punjenje), in risottos Grilled lamb (janje) and pork (svinjetina) Smoked hams (pršut) Cevapcici: small balls of minced meat and onions Ražnjici: shish kebab Burek: cheese or meat pastries. Ajvar: a purée of peppers, tomatoes and aubergines served as an accompaniment to many different dishes. Namaz: a soft cheese sometimes flavoured with peppers or herbs and spread on bread. Croatian olive oil A thick white cheese (svježi sir), usually eaten salted and peppered, accompanied with a salad Sheep’s cheese (paški sir )		On the shelves of the slasticarna (cake and coffee shops), you will often find side by side creamy cakes of Austrian inspiration and oriental cakes of honey and almonds. DRINKS Turkish coffee / Kava sa slagom: coffee with fresh cream Fruit teas Full-bodied red wines: Postup or Dingac from the peninsula of Peljesac, Teran from Istria White wines: Malvazija in Istria, Pošip, Pinot, Kujundžuša, Žlahtina and Muškat (Muscat) Beers: Ožujsko Pivo and Karlovacko Pivo Rakija (fruit brandy): made from plums (Šjivovica), made from grapes (Loza) or a grape marc flavoured with medicinal herbs (Travarica). Maraschino: cherry brandy.		February: Rijeka Carnival March – April: Zagreb: "Springtime Jazz Fever" International Jazz Festival. June: - Antifascist Struggle Day (22 June) - Zagreb: International street musicians Festival (31 May-15 June) - National Day (25 June) July: - Festival of Dalmatian polyphonic singing at Omis - Korcula: Marco Polo Festival - Opatija: Festival of traditional Istrian music - Iz: A tradition dating back to ancient times related to the Bacchanalia, the election of the King of Iz in the last weekend of July (song, dance and traditional gastronomy). July-August: - Dubrovnik: Summer Festival (10 July to 25 August) - Zadar: music evenings in St Donatus Church - Split: plays, operas, ballets and concerts,... - Pag summer festival: exhibitions, classical music concerts in the cathedral, and traditional music in the open air .... - Omis: Festival of a cappella singing August: Victory Day and National Thanksgiving Day (5 August) Traditional pilgrimage to Starigrad (15 August). August-September: Festival of dramatic arts at Dubrovnik. September - Pozega: Golden Strings Festival: Slavonic culture in pride of place. - Festival of the city of Dubrovnik and of its patron saint Michael on 29 September. - Varazdin: International Baroque Music Festival. 25 September to 5 October. October: Independence Day (8 October). Dubrovnik: International Summer Festival An internationally renowned event which has in the past hosted artistes such as Montserrat Caballé, Duke Ellington and Mstislav Rostropovich. The festival also invites national stars of theatre and classical music. The island of Krk: VINO FORUM, one of the foremost European wine events takes place in two parts, in June and September. The island’s Festival takes place in July and August: folklore, ballet, concerts, recitals. Dugi Otok This is a popular festival organised every year in the second weekend of August at Dugi Otok, the main attraction is the donkey race. After this race, everyone goes to take a rest in the well-named Lazy People’s Square.

Things to Do		Hotels		Restaurants
Ethnographic Museum, located in a 16th-century granary! The Maritime Museum reflects all that made Dubrovnik so intimately linked with the Adriatic, including beautiful model ships, naval objects. The Rector’s Palace houses an interesting Museum of Dubrovnik’s history. This museum includes furnished rooms, Baroque paintings and exhibitions on history. The Art Gallery is sited in a superb 1930s building in the suburb of Ploce. The terrace affords a magnificent view over Dubrovnik and the Adriatic. The gallery exhibits modern art from the 19th century to the present day. The Museum of War Photography is a brand new museum, opened on 1 June 2004. This museum has exhibitions on all the major world armed conflicts since 1990: Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq... Great names in photojournalism (Nachtwey, Stanmeyer, Greenfield) find genuine freedom of expression in this museum. Its purpose is to counter the media view of armed conflict.		Villa Orsula*** 20000 Dubrovnik Frana Supila 14 Tel : 020/440555 Fax : 020/432524 www.hoteli-argentina.hr The Pucic Palace Hotel* 20000 Dubrovnik Od Puca 1 Tel : 020/326222 Fax : 020/326223 www.thepusicpalace.com Hotel Grand Villa Argentina* 20000 Dubrovnik Frana Supila 14 Tel : 020/440555 Fax : 020/432524 www.hoteli-argentina.hr Hotel Excelsior* 20000 Dubrovnik Frana Supila 12 Tel : 020/353300 Fax : 020/414214 www.hotel-excelsior.hr Hotel Dubrovnik Palace* 20000 Dubrovnik Masarykov put 20 Tel : 020/430777 Fax : 020/430100 www.dubrovnikpalace.hr Hotel Uvala** 20000 Dubrovnik Masarykov put 6 Tel : 020/433580 Fax : 020/437333 www.hotelimaestral.com		Kamenice At the foot of the baroque Jesuit church, on the charming market square, it serves the best oysters in the town, washed down with a delicious white wine. Gundiliceva poljana 8 Tel : 020/ 32-36-82. Jadran This restaurant is located in the superb atrium of the St Claire monastery, at the entrance to the town. Its interior is sumptuous and the cuisine, pasta and pizzas, is very good value for money. Tel : 020/ 32-33-63. Restaurant Maestoso Hvarska bb. (old town) Open every day, food served until midnight. A very pleasant setting with its shady terrace. Croatian seafood cuisine, ample and well-prepared. A good evening venue away from the crowds.