Dubrovnik City Walls

The walls were built from the 13th to the 18th century, constantly added to and strengthened, without ever having to be used for the purpose for which they were built, thanks to the skillful diplomacy of Dubrovnik.

Even before uniting the two settlements that later on formed Dubrovnik, high wooden walls were erected at the southern part of the town which then still were only rock clusters. In the 13th century when the channel (today Stradun street) had been filled in, the walls were connected with the settlement that was under Srd hill.

The whole area was encircled by a stone wall with turrets. When the Dominican Monastery was built in the 14th century this part was also included within the walls. Though, two fortresses remained outside the walls - Lovrijenac on the west and Revelin on the east, built in the 17th century.

The walls are 1940m long and reach a maximum height of 25m. The thickness of the inner wall on the seaside is between 1.5 and 3 meters while the landward side of the wall thickness of an average of about 4 meters. In some places a thickness of up to 6 meters. They consist of the main wall, sixteen towers, three forts, six bastions, two corner forts, three pre-walls with several turrets, three moats, two barbicans, two drawbridges and a breakwater.

This historical monument is one of the world's rarities by its dimensions, construction and the architectural harmony of lines and proportions. It kept the Republic protected and safe and allowed a community of civilised and sophisticated residents to flourish in peace and prosperity for five centuries.

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Walking the Walls

The best views of the forted city are of course from the walls themselfs and to miss a stroll around them is missing the tue essence of Dubrovnik. Looking upon the bleached white underwear hanging to dry in a convent's courtyard makes you think that life here has been going on in the same manner for decades. There are a few access points and we recommend using the one between Ploce gate and the city port - it tends to be less crowded.

Because of its monumental walls and wellpreserved cultural monuments, Dubrovnik has been included in UNESCO's Register of World Architectural Heritage (Luxor, 1979.).