Dubrovnik History

Dubrovnik is a city that bears the now almost unseen scars of a troubled past, with the city having experienced conflicts throughout its long history right up until the end of the 20th century. With an attitude of resilience, however, the city has successfully shaken off the impact of various occupations and conflicts and done its best to preserve its original character. To this day, Dubrovnik remains a city with a proud heritage, which has risen to become one of Croatia’s most popular tourist resorts.

Early days

Dubrovnik’s early days can be traced back to the first half of the 7th century, when refugees hailing from Epidaurum settled in one part of the area and Slavs settled in another. The unification of the two camps saw the establishment of Dubrovnik, the name being a derivative of ‘Dubrava’, which was the original Slav name for the area. Following the town’s establishment, it fell under the protection of the Byzantines and remained so until 1295, when following the Crusades, the city fell under the sovereignty of Venice. In 1358 through the Peace Treaty of Zadar, Dubrovnik became a part of the then combined Hungarian–Croatian Kingdom.

The Middle Ages

Between the 14th and 19th centuries, Dubrovnik was an autonomously controlled state under the name of Respublica Ragusina and saw its most prosperous years during the 15th and 16th centuries, when its strength as a thalassocratic region was greater than the Republic of Venice and similarly strong Italian maritime republics. However, a decline began in the 17th century following a Mediterranean shipping crisis and a fierce earthquake that brought devastation to the region in 1667.

The threat of occupation from Venice was also something it was forced to contend with; however, it was Napoleonic and not Venetian forces that brought Dubrovnik’s downfall when they conquered the republic in 1806. Initially Napoleon stressed that the French had no interest in occupying Dubrovnik; however, this was later reneged upon and French forces blockaded the harbours before taking control of the city.

In 1808, the republic was abolished by Marshal Marmont, who declared it a part of the Illyrian provinces. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna forced Dubrovnik to become an annex of the Austrian Empire (then later the Austrian-Hungarian Empire), ensuring it became a part of the Kingdom of Dalmatia, remaining so until 1918.

Later times

Despite the locals referring to their home as Dubrovnik for centuries, the city retained the official title of Ragusa until 1918, when the fall of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire saw it become a part of the combined Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian kingdom. From 1941 to 1943, the city was occupied by the Italians then later by the Germans until it was liberated by the Partisans in 1944. In the following year, it changed from being a part of the Independent State of Croatia to a part of the second Yugoslavia.

Following the conflict which led to Croatia’s independence in 1991, Dubrovnik fell under siege from the Yugoslav People's Army. The siege lasted from October 1991 to May 1992. As peace was re-established, the city underwent a major reconstruction at the hands of the Croatian government. All attempts were made to preserve the city’s previous sense of beauty and history through attention to architectural features. To date, the city has almost completely recovered from the Serbian-Croatian conflict of the 1990s.