Dubrovnik is a historic city on the Adriatic
Sea coast in the extreme south of Croatia, positioned at 42°39′N 18°04′E at the
terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist
resorts, a seaport and the center of the Dubrovnik–Neretva county. Its population
was 43,770 in 1991 and 49,728 in 2001. in 2001 the absolute majority of its citizens
declared themselves as Croats with 88.39% (2001 census). Dubrovnik is nicknamed
"Pearl of the Adriatic". The city of Dubrovnik was based on maritime trade. In the
Middle Ages, as the Republic of Ragusa, it became the only eastern Adriatic city-state
to rival Venice. Supported by its wealth and skilled diplomacy, the city achieved
a remarkable level of development during the 15th and 16th centuries. Dubrovnik
was one of the centers of the development of the Croatian language and literature,
home to many notable poets, playwrights, painters, mathematicians, physicists and
other scholars.
The name of the city derived from Slavic word "dubrava" ("forest" in English). In
Croatian, the city is known as Dubrovnik, and in Dalmatian, Latin, Italian, and
formerly English as Ragusa. The Slavic toponym Dubrovnik, assigned to the ancient
city of Ragusa, comes from the name of a Slavic village tribe, the dubrons from
dubrava, wood, forest, that were allocated at the end of 11th century, in the oak
forest on the hills, on the north of city of Ragusa. Pulled by inside enemy tribes,
they asked to the republic to grant them refuge between the walls and they obtained
the right of asylum and the residence in a marginal quarter of the city, that refugees
called between them as the name of the native-born village: dubrovnilk. A name that
was never used by the republic of Ragusa in his thousand-year history, that it covered
without other language but Latin (official language of the republic by 1472) in
acts, agreement, laws, treaties, relationships, public or private documents. In
his 13-centuries this never changed, from the establishment until the extinction
in the 1814 due to the annexion at Austria, and still in that period, was used its
secular and authentic name.
Dubrovnik Today
Today Dubrovnik is a tranquil touristic and cultural
center hosting many musical, art and theater events year round. The annual Dubrovnik
Summer Festival is a cultural event when keys of the city are given to artists who
entertain Dubrovnik's population and their guests for entire month with live plays,
concerts, and games.
Ivan Gundulić, the greatest Croatian 17th century
writer, predicted the downfall of the great Turkish Empire in his great poem Osman.
He wrote these immortal verses that are performed on every opening of the world
famous Dubrovnik Summer Festival: O, beautiful liberty, dear and sweet, Thou heavenly
gift where riches all meet, Actual source of our glory of these hours, The sole
adornment of this of ours, All silver, all gold, and our lives so dear, Cannot recompense
thy beauty so clear. With these verses Dubrovnik major invites actors and poems
to enter through main gates inside city stone walls. As young actor Goran Visnjic
played Hamlet on Dubrovnik Summer Festival. He was noticed and approved by the public
at the very start of his career.
The Dubrovnik Summer Festival has been awarded its
first Gold International Trophy for Quality (2007) by the Editorial Office in collaboration
with the Trade Leaders Club. Dubrovnik and his surroundings with beautiful islands
have lot to offer in touristic activities for younger generations also. Climbing
on steep hills, hiking through the Mediterranean nature, paddling and swimming in
clean transparent sea is what is also part of fun in Dubrovnik. New historical discovers
say that the usual misconception of Dubrovnik coming to be as joining of Laus island
and Slav settlement of Dubrovnik is disputed by the fact that there was no island
of Laus, only a peninsula, and it seems that there was a port on its location dating
back to ancient history (thought to be the lost port of Heraclea!)