Dubrovnik Croatia Travel

30/03/2026

08/03/2026

Cable car ride in

07/02/2026

A mascheron is a carved or painted mask used in architecture.
The word comes from Italian mascherone. Mask.

You can see them in Dubrovnik on churches, fountains, and old walls.
They look like faces.
Often strange or scary.

Their original role was protection.
People believed these faces scared away evil spirits before they could enter a building.

That is why mascherons are often placed above doors, windows, or water fountains.
They act like guards.
They also showed skill.
Carving stone like that was hard and expensive.

A good example is on the Church of St. Blaise.
The face looks serious and strong.
It is meant to watch over the city.

23/01/2026

20/01/2026

Most people walk past this place without knowing what they’re looking at.

Inside the Franciscan Monastery is one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe still operating today. It opened in 1317. Over 700 years ago.

It started as a small pharmacy for Franciscan friars treating wounds and disease with herbs and oils. By the late 1300s, it was already serving the public.

You can still see original pharmacy furniture, handwritten recipes, stone mortars, jars from Italy, and even a 14th-century distillation still. This isn’t a replica. These are the real tools.

The monastery survived wars, occupations, and the devastating 1667 earthquake. Empires collapsed around it. The pharmacy stayed.

This place wasn’t just about faith. It was early medicine, chemistry, and science, long before modern pharmacies existed.

Step inside. Smells like history.

14/01/2026

Libertas wasn’t just a word in old Republic of Ragusa (today Dubrovnik) - it was a way of life.
On the walls of Fort Lovrijenac in Dubrovnik, there’s an inscription that says: “Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro” - Liberty cannot be sold for all the gold of the world.
In a tiny maritime republic squeezed between empires, freedom was their most precious currency.
No matter how much power or money surrounded them, they chose independence, smart diplomacy and law over brute force.
Today, that message hits harder than ever.
Your passport, your voice, your ideas, your time - that’s your modern Libertas. Guard it like a fortress.

👉 Share it if you believe some things are worth more than gold.

11/01/2026

The Republic of Ragusa(Dubrovnik today) ruled itself from the Rector’s Palace.
One ruler. One month.

The Rector was elected for just 30 days.
No extensions.

He could not leave the palace without permission.
He could not rule alone.
Power was deliberately limited.

This system reduced corruption and prevented dictators.
Centuries before modern democracy, Dubrovnik understood one thing clearly.

09/01/2026

In 1438, while most of Europe struggled with sanitation, the Republic of Ragusa(today Dubrovnik) was already a master of "smart city" infrastructure. They commissioned architect Onofrio della Cava to build a 12km aqueduct that brought fresh spring water into the city using nothing but the perfect calculation of gravity.

07/01/2026

In 1377, the Republic of Ragusa (today Dubrovnik) introduced one of the first organized quarantine systems in the world.

Passengers arriving by sea were required to remain in isolation before entering the city.
At first for 30 days.
Later extended to 40.

This rule protected the population from plague and disease.

The word quarantine comes from the Italian quaranta giorni, meaning "forty days."

Centuries before modern medicine, Dubrovnik chose responsibility, prevention, and life.

At first, travelers were isolated on Islands Mrkan, Bobara, and Supetar near Cavtat to keep the infection far from the city walls.
Later, quarantine moved closer to the city, to the area known today as the Lazareti.

This was not punishment.
It was protection.

05/01/2026

The Republic of Ragusa (today Dubrovnik) officially abolished the slave trade on January 27, 1416, making it one of the first European states to ban the practice. It prohibited the buying, selling, and transportation of enslaved people. This was centuries before other major powers, such as the United States or Great Britain, banned slavery, reflecting Dubrovnik's emphasis on justice and freedom.

07/12/2025

Here are a list for best things to do in Dubrovnik. Easy walks, good views, local spots and a few places many visitors miss. Save the list and use it when you explore the city.