"Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro" or “Freedom is not to be sold for all the riches in the world” is the message that is engraved on the doors of the Lovrijenac fortress. For centuries it was the stalwart defender of Dubrovnik’s freedom, and probably best describes the soul and atmosphere of this ancient Mediterranean city.
In the next few sentences we will try to describe what Dubrovnik is really like.
Dubrovnik has always attracted free-minded people from all over the world. It is located on the border between the east and the west, and in an area that throughout history has lived through some very difficult times where it was forced to fight for its freedom and dignity. What has always characterised it and enabled it to survive its hardest moments is precisely its thirst for freedom.
Dubrovnik is a city of culture and arts, a never ending source of inspiration for artists who come as guests, from the summer festival that is a powerful symbol of its cultural identity to the many exhibitions, scenes, and theatrical and musical performances that run throughout the year.
Dubrovnik is a town of big and small people – sailors, academics, artists, traders… Ruđer Bošković and Marin Getaldić gave Dubrovnik science, and Marin Držić, Ivan Gundulić, Bartol Kašić gave Dubrovnik the Croatian culture and language…They, like lots of other famous and less famous people who have walked the city streets and squares, sailed in and out of its port, helped weave its identity as a liberal city that is famous throughout the world.
Dubrovnik is a town of famous views, with the ancient city centre surrounded by its celebrated walls, full of cultural monuments and irreplaceable art and architecture that can be found in the centre.
Dubrovnik is a town of spirituality and liberalism, with 17 monasteries and churches, one of the oldest synagogues in Europe, a pharmacy from 1317 as well as a refuge. All of them make up the mosaic that is witness to its eternal liberal spirit and the freedom of its inhabitants.
Finally, Dubrovnik is a city that should be discovered and enjoyed at a slow pace. Its gates are open to anyone, and whoever visits it for at least a moment, will understand why its inhabitants are so unwilling to leave it.