Fort Lovrijenac, Dubrovnik

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This fortress is located just outside the wall of the old city in the sea and it is 37 meter above sea level. It is one of the most visible sites of the city as you can see it from the old city walls as well as just from the tourist information square next to the Pile Gate and bus stops.

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It is located across from the old town and an easy walk just outside the Pile Gate entry. The problem from there is you would not know the directions to that fort unless you "fell" upon a hidden sign in a back street to show the way. The walls are 121 feet high and the thickest portion is 39 feet on the water side. The town folk built this in 3 months to deter the Venetians form doing the same thing so they could control Dubrovnik from the vantage point. This occurred in around 1038. A dual purpose was to defend the town but also for aristocrats to have a sanctuary and attack its own town if there was an uprising. We went inside but decided not to spend $6 for the short tour of the inside walls because the whole inside is bare and nothing to offer but views. We got that same effect by hanging out on the outside and a bit over the edge of the cliff. You climb about 100 steps to get there.

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The fort is set outside the city walls on a rock 37 metres above sea level. It is surrounded by the sea on 3 sides & gives great views of the city. Shakespeare's plays are staged here during the Summer Festival.

Tvrdava Lovrijenac is the oldest part of the town fortifications. It was built in the 12th century to protect the town from attacks from the sea. Over the main entrance to the fort one can found the motto of the town: "Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro" (Liberty cannot be sold for all the gold in the world.)

Lovrijenac, a strong and big fort, stands on the steep high rock (37 m). Its called also the "Dubrovnik Gibraltar". The fort has got three terraces.Previously there were two gates, but the Austrians destroyed the inside one in order to carry away old guns after the Fort had been disarmed.The fort was of the greatest importance for the safety of the city.The aristocrats of Dubrovnik did not trust their own members. So, in case of a mutiny, the guns from the city walls could bomb the east corner of the Fort successfully.The foundation of Lovrijenac is related with a story: old chronicles say that Venice wanted to build a fort on the isolated steep rock to keep Dubrovnik under control. Having known this, the Republic and her citizens made great effort to construct their own fort on the same rock for only three months. The Venetians came on their ships loaded with materials and found that they had been outwitted. So the chroniclers put both this event and the foundation of Lovrijenac into 1018 or 1038. It is probable that the rock, because of its dominating position, was fortified even earlier

Walking around the Old Town Walls you will see the fortress situated approximately half a kilometer outside the city walls on a rocky outcrop 37 metres above sea level. The fort was constructed during the 14th century and was most important in the defensive system as any attack upon the city would be from the sea.

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Took a stroll over to this fort, which is very prominent from the city walls. Becuase of a distrust of too much power being concentrated in an individuals hands, the commander of this fort was changed very frequently. It also had thin walls facing the city, though very thick to the sea and land. Once inside, theres not actually much to see, but the views back into the old city are great. Apparently it is often used for performances of Hamlet and would love to see one in such an evocative building.

Located at the western side of the Town outside the City Wall at a 36 meters high cliff. It dominates, both the sea and the land entrances to the Town from the west. According to old scripts it was built in only three months. Today its interior is one of the most dignified stages in Europe, a well-known place for Shakespeare's Hamlet performances.