The Siege of Dubrovnik

In June of 1991, Croatia, then one of Yugoslavia’s most prosperous republics, voted to become independent. Within weeks the two were at war and on October 1, 1991, the first bombs fell on Dubrovnik. The Serbian Army quickly surrounded the area and cut off all roads into the city. Dubrovnik was not prepared and had to quickly improvise. Cut off by land on one side and the sea on the other, surprised residents had to fend for themselves. No water, no electricity, no phones, and food that had to be severely rationed.

The bombing shocked everyone as the city held no military importance, it didn’t have a large Serb population, and the front line was hundreds of miles away. But Dubrovnik was the tourist capital of a nation that depended on tourism, and Serbia wanted to hit them where it hurt.

The siege lasted for eight months and in the end 2/3’s of the Old Town was destroyed and hundreds had died. One of those destroyed buildings was the house we’re staying in. Our host was a young girl at the time, but old enough to remember hiding out in the church nearby (where the walls were much thicker). While at the church her parent’s bedroom took a direct hit.

In May 1992 the Croatian Army liberated Dubrovnik, but the danger of sudden attacks would last for the next three years. I just can’t imagine living in such a beautiful and historic city such as this, and watching it get blown to bits. While a massive rebuilding has brought the city back to it's former glory, the residents here are forever changed.

Today, plaques at all of the main gates to the Old City tell the story of what is no longer visible to the naked eye. Written in five languages, the plaque reads: “City Map of Damages caused by the aggression on Dubrovnik by the Yugoslav Army, Serbs and Montenegrians, 1991-1992.” It shows direct hits, burnt buildings, shrapnel and other damage.

Luckily sights like this are no longer common in town.

This is part of the old military fort on Mt. Srd, above the Old Town.  The ammunition above is part of a museum erected at the old military base.
You can tell which buildings got bombed by who has a new roof.
This is another memorial in town, showing photos of many of the Dubrovnik soldiers who died.

The Walls

The most predominant feature of Dubrovnik has to be the fortified walls that surround the city. Stretching uninterrupted for about 1 ¼ miles, they offer only three entry/exit points to this pedestrian-only city. (5,000 out of 50,000 residents live within the walls.) Building of this fortification system started in the 12th century as Dubrovnik gained power and was sought by numerous Republics.  In fact in the 15th century, its Mediterranean fleet was second in size only to Venice. What’s ironic though, is that the walls were never really used for defensive purposes until 1991 during the Homeland War.

Our apartment is located near Fort Lovrjenac, aka “Dubrovnik Gibralter”, the largest fortress on the perimeter. If this fortress were captured it would endanger the whole city and so its walls reach almost 40 feet thick. The entrance to the fortress still reads “Non Bene Pro Toto Libertas Venditur Auro”, or “Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world”.

All of the pictures used in this post were taken from somewhere along the top of the wall.

A look down Main Street.
Our apartment is the one on the left, safely tucked behind the wall.
The gang hanging out on our little terrace.
A cruise ship leaving for Venice in the distance.

Look hard and you'll find Cole keeping watch.
This gentleman is a fixture, playing his music on the city fountain everyday.


Pirates!

Dubrovnik

Lord Byron said Dubrovnik was “The Pearl of the Adriatic” and George Bernard Shaw said, “Those seeking paradise on earth should seek it in Dubrovnik”. That’s pretty high praise, but we’re finding it to be well deserved. Initially settled by the Romans, Dubrovnik has been sought after by many Republics. Today it’s sought after by tourists, arriving from every corner of the globe. Dubrovnik is a beautiful medieval town in perfect condition, but it didn’t get that way without a little help over the years. In 1667 a devastating earthquake, that killed over half of its residents, flattened the city. And more recently in 1991, the Yugoslav Army laid siege to the city during the Homeland War, destroying 2/3’s of the historic “Old Town”. Today it’s hard to find any evidence of those events and the tourists have come back in droves.  Most of the tourists seem to arrive by cruise ships.  We're getting good at guessing how many are in the harbor just by how crowded the streets are.  Evenings usually quiet down though, as everyone heads back out to sea.
We stopped in the tourist information center for some tips.  When we turned around, the kids were hard at work.
Roland was a popular and legendary soldier in medieval times, and you can find his bust in cities all over Europe. He is known to represent freedom and his statue in Dubrovnik’s main square, erected in 1419, became a rallying point for the city’s freedom fighters.
The Cathedral holds some unique treasures, including a piece of the swaddling clothes worn by baby Jesus.

This shot is looking back in towards town off of our porch. While most overhead photos of the city make it look flat, it’s deceivingly hilly. The wide “Stradun”, or Main Street, runs the length of the city, and it’s straight up hill on either side. The Stradun was originally a canal making Dubrovnik an island, but in the 11th century it was filled in to enlarge the city. Our apartment is perched within the walls, but up the hill on the sea side. It’s set perfectly to allow views over the city on one side and the sea on the other.This is one of the alleyways leading off the Stradun.
Pomegranate trees are everywhere.
Onofrio’s Fountain was built in the 15th century and supplied the city with water via a seven mile aqueduct from the mountains.  Today it's still a great spot to fill up your water bottle (and listen to some music as this guy is always playing his fiddle).



Mt. Srd stands high behind the city and was the main Croatian defense point during the Homeland War. 

This little guy likes to visit the kids. He drops by every now and then, usually through an open door. Here he is standing on the kids homework.
I couldn't help throwing in a couple more sunset photos.  These are off of our porch looking out across the wall at Fort Lovrijenac.

Two Birthdays and then Two Islands

Finally back in Croatia, we arrived Split with the intention of spending one night and then heading out to some islands. Our reservation in Dubrovnik was eight days away so we had time to kill. When we left Split the last time, our friends said they would help us find a place for the night when we got back. Well we’re back and did they ever deliver. Their father was out of town on a fishing trip and had his beachfront apartment all ready for us. We quickly decided one night would simply not do. So one night became two and then three. We ended up relaxing and having both Cole’s and Angie’s birthday bash at the apartment.

After that it was time to venture on. Croatia holds the largest number of Islands in the Adriatic (over 1,100 of which around 60 are occupied) and we thought we better visit a few. Our first ferry took us to Hvar Town on the Island of Hvar. Hvar is promoted as “The Sunniest Spot in Europe”, and with the recent increase in tourism to Croatia, this island gets a lot of the attention. With high season over, we spent a couple of perfect days just exploring the area and wading in the crystal clear water.

From Hvar, our next boat delivered us to Korcula Town on, you guessed it, the island of Korcula. (I promise not every city shares a name with the island.) We arrived late at night, but the dock was full of people offering private accommodations (very standard in Croatia). We told everyone we needed 3 nights, wanted 4 or 5 beds, no stairs (these seaside towns can be steep as we learned in Hvar), a sea view, and a location somewhat near the old town. We ended up following an old man that said his apartment fit the criteria and oh boy did it. He opened the front door to reveal a two-story living room with a wrap-around balcony on the harbor. While the kids were jumping up and down, Angie and I just played it cool and told him it would do. It was 2500 sq. ft. in all, and by far the closest thing to a house we’ve had since we left the States. Like Hvar, we spent our days lazily wandering the town and playing in the water. Oh, and if I haven’t mentioned it yet, school has started for the Staehling kids. As hard as it is sometimes, that has been part of the daily routine as well.Part of the party took us to this park down the street.
Cole and Ella playing a little soccer on our deck.
Mom's turn for birthday treats.  And everyone got their favorite Croatian pastry instead of cake.
Here's the troops relaxing with a movie after a long day.  Ella definitely had enough for today.
When we arrived Hvar, our host offered to drive us up the hill to our apartment.  She didn't know what she was in for!  It took her three loads in this mini Fiat to get all five of us and our luggage.
This picture of the Hvar Fortress is taken from our kitchen porch.
This photo is taken from a defensive position inside the fort.

The main square (trg in Croatian) in Hvar Town.

This friendly Croatian baka (grandma) was busy her goodies in front of the Hvar cathedral.

Looking down towards the harbor off our Hvar porch.
On to Korcula Town.


Ella is on duty!
This little church is just off the main square in Korcula.  The tower in the background is part of the house belonging to Marco Polo.  The locals say he was born here in 1254, while the folks in Venice will argue he was born in Venice.
Angie got a little painting done in the living room while the kids did homework.  In the background you'll see one of the ferries leaving the harbor.