KOMARNA Sightseeing
Dubrovnik
and places along the road
One word: Go!
It
is tempting to spend every day
of your vacation on the
beach. Even so, do
allow yourself at least one excursion.
Dubrovnik is a United Nations
UNESCO
Heritage Site. The reason for appointing these is "Protecting natural
and cultural properties of outstanding universal value against the
threat
of damage in a rapidly developing world", as the UN puts it.You must
go! This old city is unique and a small wonder that it has survived.
Dubrovnik is known as The Pearl of The Adriatic.
Retaining its status as
one of the most important Mediterranean ports from the 13th century
onwards
rich merchants have left a city plastered with magnificent Gothic,
Renaissance
and Baroque building. Churches being most notable of course.
The city can trace its origins back to the first Greek
settlement in Cavtat
(about 400 B.C.). It remained an important province during the Roman
time
and when the Avar and Slavic tribes invaded in 614 the population moved
to the present place where they could to build a strong fortified
city.
The city was an important factor in the Mediterranean trade for
centuries
where it remained to some degree independent through shifting rulers of
the area. A bad earth quake on April 16 1667 destroyed much of the town
and killed some 4000 people. After that it never fully recovered its
former
status. You do not have to be interested in history or
architecture to enjoy
Dubrovnik. Being a university town it is a "young city" with
numerous concerts, theatre, opera, shops, markets and greater
scores
of seafood restaurants than you would expect to find in a 70.000
population small town carrying a thousand years of history with pride.
During the Balkan wars in the mid 90's Dubrovnik
was bombed from the surrounding hills. Luckily, the low caliber weapons
used did
not
impact significantly though. Standing on higher ground you will notice
the
patches of new red tiles on the roofs around the city. Those places are
where the shells impacted.
We recommend that you visit Dubrovnik
Online Travel Guide.
Suggested things to do:
Walk the
town walls (must do!), visit the Dominican Monastery (near the Ploce
Gate),
and visit the Franciscan Monastery and the old pharmacy (near the Pile
Gate). Visit Rectors Palace and - maybe the Nautical Museeum - both are
close to the old harbour.
If you have the time, the small evergreen Island of Lokrum is
well worth
a visit. It is just 10-15 minutes from Dubrovnik by boat. The Island
has
subtropical vegetation with beaches and wonderful footpath along lovely
coves. There is a Benedictine monastery along a 10m deep small lake
called
the Dead Sea.
The fort on the mountain above Dubrovnik is worth a visit. The road up
to it is narrow, but there is lay-by that will enable cars to pass each
other. Drive towards the airport 1.7 km and turn left towards Bosanka.
From there it is 2.8 km to the fort. There is a good view from the big
white cross, and try to drive to the back of the fort, go through the
wall, turn right and maybe visit the exhibition for the homeland war
and walk all the way round to the front where you have a fantastic view
of the city..
Parking in Dubrovnik: Be aware that parking can be a
problem
and that if you are
lucky to find
a parking space you must buy a ticket. It is 5 Kuna per hour and
tickets
(Parkirna Karta) are for sale in all the small kiosks that sell
magazines
and from the attendants at the regular big parking places. On the
ticket,
you must mark the current date and time and place it behind the
windscreen
of your car. There is one place near the Pile Gate where the cost is 10
Kuna per hour and because of this it is the most likely place to find a
vacant space.
More information about parking and transport
in Dubrovnik
Sightseeing on the Way to or from Dubrovnik
Ston and Mali Ston
At
the root of Peljesac Peninsular
you find two
small fortified towns.
Both are fortified towns build in the beginning of 1300's by the
Republic
of Dubrovnik. The length of the wall is about 5 km, and about twenty
bastions
have been preserved. This should make it the longest fortification in
the
world apart from The Great Wall of China. It was built to protect the
salt
production which is still going on in the valley. Ston is a great place
to start out if you want to walk on the walls. There is one way: Up.
From
there you can walk all the way to Mali Ston if you like (mali = small).
Look at the picture. Look down the street and up to the hill. The small thing 2/3 up is the main gate with walls on each side.
In Roman times Ston was called Stagnum and had an important strategic position. Veliko Kastio (Great Castle), which is a rectangular fortification, is one of the most impressive. It is in Ston. It's recommended to start out early before it gets too hot. If you do this you can make it to Mali Ston in time for lunch by the seaside. There are a number of restaurants at the marina serving excellent seafood.
On the hill top in Ston is the Church of St. Michael, which together with the Church of Our Lady, Rector's Palace and the Franciscan monastery is the most valuable cultural monuments.
Ston has a very nice atmosphere and much the same qualities as Dubrovnik - it is just much smaller.
Check
out the castle in Ston. Stock up on refreshments at one
of the cafes,
tie your hiking boots and set off up to the stairs leading to the main
gate.
When you reach it, you can enjoy (and marvel over) the reason these
walls
were built: The salty water basins down in the valley. If you are in
for
more exercise just set off in either direction when you reach the top
of
the walls. There should be plenty exercise for even the fittest here.
If you hike all the way from Ston to Mali Ston you might treat yourself to a taste of the local mussels and oysters that are farmed in the waters between Peljesac and the mainland. There are plenty of places to eat along the harbor front in this pleasant little town.
In the Bay of Mali Ston lies the largest clam farms in the eastern Adriatic. Oysters and mussels and other seafood from the Malostonski Bay are known worldwide. Around Ston and on the Peljesac Peninsular there are many opportunities for gastronomic experiences if you like mussels and wine. When you drive into the peninsular you will see many wine yards. Look out for signs that advertise or even better, ask for a guided tour where you have the opportunity to taste the specialities of the area.
The Trsteno Arboretum
You can't miss the gardens when
you drive
through Trsteno about 20 kilometers
North of Dubrovnik.
The garden has more than 300 species of trees and numerous plants from around The Mediterranean and the world. Together with the architecture from the Gothic-Renaissance period this makes The Trsteno Arboretum one of the finest gardens in this part of Europe.
The botanical garden at Trsteno North of Dubrovnik was founded in 1492 by the Gucetic-family who resided in the splendid 15th century summer residence in the centre of the garden until it was nationalized by the communists.
Being able to see the gardens today can be considered somewhat of a miracle. During the homeland war Serbian Navy ships and air planes shelled the gardens with phosphorus bombs on the 2. And 3. of November 1991. To this day, you can still see a few Mexican palm trees that live despite their outer trunks look like charcoal.
There is a splendid view from the bottom of the park. From the main road follow the signs for Camping and just keep going down. At the end of the road there is a small harbor and some abandoned houses. They are not abandoned because nobody wants them, but because it is difficult to establish ownership. Rumors are that the American actor John Malkovic will buy one of them which appears to belong to the Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Link to more information about The Trsteno Botanical Garden.
From Trsteno to Slano
In Trsteno - just after you have passed the Botanical Garden; turn right towards Majkovi. Follow this road and experience some great views of all the islands. At three points along the road, you may be in doubt:
- Do not turn towards Dubravica - keep left.
- The next time is when the road divides after you have passed Majkovi, keep right (left leads down to the coastal road before Slano).
- When it divides again keep left. There is a road sign (only readable after you have passed it) showing Vjetrenica. Do not follow it. It leads you to a local border station where you cannot pass.
- Keep left and eventually you will arrive at a T-junction very close to the coastal road.
If you are up to more you can keep on going straight ahead into the "Slano to Neum" description and continue from: "After 4-5 km keep left" - or you can turn left now and join the coastal road again.
From Slano to Neum
- Turn right after Slano and follow the road up into the mountains.
- Turn left in the first junction.
- After 4-5 km keep left. The main road appears to go right, but it only leads to the village Mravinica. Keep left.
- At some point later along the road you may think you have lost your way because the road seems to end in a stone quarry - just keep going through the quarry, and you hit a better road on the other side
Now you get to the top of the mountain range with a good view. There is a new road coming up from around Doli here. In a junction with signs for Podimoc (to the rights) And Dubrovnik (to the left) you can turn left if you want to go back to the costal road through the village Doli.
If you continue through the junction you will meet another road on your left with a sign saying "Dubrovnik". Just before the road there is a new war memorial on your right. Both from the memorial and from the road there is a good view of the Bay of Ston and you can see the border station to Neum. I suggest you turn left and drive down to the border station here. You may continue, but there is not much to see, and if you meet a strict custom official when you reach the border to Neum, he may decide that you cannot enter because this is not an international border crossing.