Heritage in Southern Europe / Adriatic

Old City of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a perfectly preserved medieval and baroque city-state on a limestone headland above the Adriatic — the former capital of the Republic of Ragusa, which abolished slavery in 1416, established Europe's first quarantine system in 1377, and maintained its independence for 450 years through diplomacy rather than military power. In 1991 it was shelled by Yugoslav forces in an act of cultural terrorism that galvanised international opinion. Today it receives 4 million visitors a year for a resident population of 1,300 people.