The Ploce Gate - City Walls of Dubrovnik in Croatia

These fortified walls have the look of a movie set for a film placed in the Middle Ages. It has that fairy-tale aspect as does all of Dubrovnik in Croatia. These walls enclosing the original town are five feet thick and were built beginning in the 13th century. But this is not a warlike town. On one of its fortresses is engraved "Non bene pro toto venditur Libertas auro" - "Liberty can not be sold for all the gold in the world.” That is the the soul of Dubrovnik.

The area had long been settled since Roman times with various towns rising & falling. In the 600's Croats appeared and built their community near the town of Ragusa. In time the two towns became one that took the name Dubrovnik meaning oakwood reflecting the trees that grew on it hills.

Being on the Adriatic Sea the town developed into a trading center. Its ships sailed far & wide choosing not to conquer - only to trade. They sailed under a white flag that said Libertas (Latin for freedom) for this is what they valued. They were also skilled diplomats. In 1418 they abolished slavery. In 1667 they suffered a devastating earthquake that practically destroyed the town. In 1771 they were trading with the colonies in America.

But at home they dealt with their close rivals - Adriatic seaports named Venice, Genoa, & Ancona. Other forces & empires entered the scene - Ottomans, France, Austria, Italy, Germany, Serbia. Everybody wanted a piece of Dubrovnik. It was hurt but survived to see the Yugoslav War. In 1991 it was shelled by the Yugoslav People's Army for seven months. Fifty-six percent of its structures suffered damage. They rebuilt and it remains the fairy-tale city. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of value to the world & to all of mankind.