ASIANOVERLAND.NET KATHMANDU TO LONDON  DAY 155/67: KAVALA TO DUBROVNIK, YUGOSLAVIA

 23 November, 1980

Dubrovnik (historically Ragusa) is a city on the Adriatic Sea in southern Croatia on the beautiful Dalmatian coast. The Dalmatian coastline and city of Dubrovnik make for one of the best and most scenic drives in the world.

The city dates to the 7th century, when the town known as Ragusa was founded by refugees. It was under the protection of the Byzantine Empire and later under the sovereignty of Republic of Venice.

After the Medieval Kingdom of Croatia fell in 1102, its cities and lands were often conquered by, or switched allegiance to, the kingdoms of the region during the Middle Ages. The longest-lasting rule was the one of the Republic of Venice, which controlled most of Dalmatia between 1420 and 1797, with the exception of the small but stable Republic of Ragusa, Dubrovnik (1358–1808) in the south.

Between the 14th and 19th centuries, Dubrovnik ruled itself as a free state. The prosperity of the city was historically based on maritime trade. As the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, and became known for its wealth and skilled diplomacy. Dubrovnik also became a cradle of Croatian literature.

The entire city was almost destroyed when a devastating earthquake hit in 1667. During the Napoleonic Wars, Dubrovnik was occupied by the French Empire forces, and then the Republic of Ragusa was abolished and incorporated into the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and later into French Illyrian Provinces. During most of the 19th and 20th centuries, Dubrovnik was a part of the Austrian Empire, Austria-Hungary and Yugoslavia.

Between 1815 and 1918, Dalmatia was a province of the Austrian Empire known as the Kingdom of Dalmatia. After the Austro-Hungarian defeat in the First World War, Dalmatia was split between the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes which controlled most of it, and the Kingdom of Italy. After World War II, the Socialist Republic of Croatia as a part of Yugoslavia took complete control over Dalmatia. Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Dalmatia became part of the independent Croatian state.

A feature of Dubrovnik is its walls, which run almost 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) around the city. The walls are 4 to 6 metres thick on the landward side, but thinner on the seaward side. The system of turrets and towers provided protection to the vulnerable city.

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