A Decade in Dubrovnik

Posted byDalmatian InsiderPosted inTravel BlogTags:, , , , , , , , , , ,

My husband and I are not making a trip to Croatia this summer so I thought I’d reminisce by writing about past trips to the country, a place we’ve traveled to on an almost annual basis since 2001. One destination we’ve visited time and time again is the city of Dubrovnik, that idyllic and almost otherworldly spot in the southernmost part of Croatia’s coastal Dalmatia region. It is renowned for its Old Town, a UNESCO world heritage site characterized by terra cotta roofs surrounded by a medieval wall, jutting out into the tranquil waters of the Adriatic Sea. The city has been a tourist destination since the 19th century when Lord Byron coined it “the pearl of the Adriatic,” a moniker that endures to this day.

In this post, I share images from my Dubrovnik photo archive from 2001 to 2012. Some are traditional, familiar, and enduring, while others note the drastic and remarkable change over that time, an evolution that occurred seemingly overnight. For during this time period, the city emerged from the trauma of the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s to become a world-class tourist destination, sought after not just for its incomparable beauty and enduring history, but as a favored filming location for the entertainment industry.

And bonus, I’ve squared most of the reddish terra cotta-hued photos so the post qualifies for The Life of B’s SimplyRed July square photo challenge! The photos from 2001 were taken on a film camera and the rest on a digital camera. None were taken on a cell phone camera (in fact, smart phones weren’t yet a thing when most of the photos were taken!).

Over the years, I’ve photographed Dubrovnik’s Old Town from a distance at the very same spot. Albeit threatened over time by war and over-tourism, the Old Town’s look remains steadfast, its colors altered only by changes in the weather. The two stars of Dubrovnik’s Old Town are its medieval wall and terra cotta roofs. Rather than try to determine which I like better, I view them as inextricably intertwined. And the Adriatic Sea is the icing on the cake, adding a dramatic final touch!

My first ever view of Dubrovnik in June 2001. The sea was a beautiful mix of azure shades, reflecting the colors of the sky.
A mostly clear and bright sunny day in June. The yacht in the lower left is an indication that tourism has re-emerged.
A cloudier and cooler day in May 2009. The rooftops and sea exhibited darker shades of red and cobalt. Indicators of mass tourism are evident in the tiny boats bringing guests from massive cruise ships to the Old Town, headed for the marina.
A humid and hazy day in June. While the heat and humidity were a bit uncomfortable, the haziness created a dreamy look.

Construction of Dubrovnik’s medieval wall commenced in 800 AD. The bulk of its construction took place in the 13th century when the complete perimeter was laid, with updates occurring through the 17th century. I am amazed at how it has survived over such a vast time period and, in particular, the 1990s war. For I remember shocking and sickening images of shells striking parts of the wall in news reports about the Siege of Dubrovnik. Thankfully, damage was limited and the wall continues to endure.

My husband and I atop the medieval wall in 2001, the first time we traveled to Dubrovnik together. A Croatian expat, my husband hadn’t been to Dubrovnik since before the 1990s war. Part of the wall’s perimeter is in the background, and of course the terra cotta rooftops. Behind the mountain, as the crow flies, the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina is less than three miles away. And I promise we both didn’t intend to wear red! We’d been traveling and those shirts just happened to be clean. I guess the color is sort of in sync with the rooftops!
A section of the wall, constructed of limestone, perched atop a limestone cliff.
My husband explores the wall in 2001 (left). There were so few tourists we had parts of the wall to ourselves. On the right, one of the wall’s guard towers and a statue of Saint Blaise, the patron saint of Dubrovnik.
The wall and a guard tower in the foreground and Fort Lovrijenac in the background, both complemented by lush greenery and plants. Fort Lovrijenac was one of the filming locations for the Game of Thrones series.
Atop the wall in 2008, the island of Lokrum in the background. Lokrum served as a quarantine site in medieval times for travelers and goods entering Dubrovnik, then a city-state known as the Republic of Ragusa and active in commerce. In contemporary times, Lokrum was one of the filming sites for Game of Thrones.

Walking atop the wall provides sweeping views of the Old Town’s signature terra cotta roofs.

Rooftops viewed from the wall.
A rooftop close-up. I like how there are at least two, maybe three different shades of terra cotta.

A disheartening reality of the Old Town’s roofs in the first decade of the 21st century was that they were, in a figurative sense, a map of the war damage of the late 20th century, when many were damaged during the Siege of Dubrovnik by the Yugoslav People’s Army from 1991 to 1992. The war in Croatia ended in 1995 and by 2001, most of the damaged roofs had been repaired with bright red and orange terra cotta tile, in contrast to the older surviving tile in terra cotta shades bleached by time. An actual map of the war damage can be found next to the Pile Gate, the main entrance to Dubrovnik’s Old Town, and it indicates that hardly any of the roofs remained unscathed.

In 2001 (left), bleached roofs that survived the 1990s war are in the foreground, while newer and brighter repaired roofs are in the background. On the right, damage from the Siege of Dubrovnik remains as late as 2007 on the sides of a building in its pock-marked plaster.

By mid-decade, Dubrovnik’s aura had transformed from war recovery to tourist destination, attracting more visitors than at any other time in its history. And by the end of the decade and beyond, Dubrovnik came to be known as one of the top places in the world suffering from the deleterious effects of mass tourism, including suffocating crowds of people, inflated prices, and rightfully cranky locals. If there is anything that sums up these changes in Dubrovnik, one need look no further than the harbor. In 2001, naval vessels from around the world were docked, assisting with postwar peace-keeping efforts in the region. Just a few years later, the naval vessels had been replaced by giant cruise ships packed with tourists.

On the left in 2001, a US naval vessel assisting with post-war peace-keeping efforts is docked outside Dubrovnik. On the right just a few years later, a giant cruise ship arrives.

Another barometer of the skyrocketing switch towards tourism is the Stradun, the main artery through Dubrovnik’s Old Town. In 2001, it was possible to stroll the pedestrian thoroughfare without rubbing the shoulders of other tourists. In fact, some of the guests wandering the Stradun weren’t tourists, but military personnel aiding in peace-keeping efforts. My husband and I remember sipping coffee in a cafe along the Stradun and chatting with a US sailor from the above vessel docked in the harbor. By 2007, the Stradun was packed with tourists from side to side and end to end.

The Stradun in 2001 (left), when tourism was just beginning to re-emerge, and in 2007 (right), by which time tourism was in full swing (and then some!).

Improvement in infrastructure also helped Dubrovnik’s tourism industry surge. Completed in April 2002, construction of a bridge over the Rijeka Dubrovačka, an inlet just up the coast from Dubrovnik, cut automobile travel time to the city by 30 minutes.

Construction of the bridge above the Rijeka Dubrovačka inlet was well underway in 2001.

If anything were to cement Dubrovnik’s return to tourism by the end of the decade, it was the reopening of the cable car to the top of Srd Hill in 2010. The cable car incurred severe damage during the Siege of Dubrovnik, although my husband has childhood memories of its closure prior to the start of the war. The cable car affords a breathtakingly unique vantage point from which to take in the Old Town, almost as if one is floating above it.

My husband standing in the winds atop the wall in 2001 with Srd Hill rising up in the background. One of the support towers of the damaged cable car is just beneath the top of the hill towards the right.
View of the Old Town after taking the cable car to the top of Srd Hill in 2012. The cable and a support tower are visible. I wish I’d snapped a photo with the car itself!

In closing, I’ll share a few parting shots from within the wall’s confines, a place worth exploring on its own.

The Jesuit Stairs before they became the filming site of one of the most disturbing scenes in the Game of Thrones series.
A local creating and selling crafts inspired by Croatian folk art.
The Large Onofrio Fountain, constructed in the 15th century and a popular spot for visitors to take a break.

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Published by Dalmatian Insider

I enjoy blogging about my two favorite pursuits in life, figure skating (as a woman who returned to it in her 40s!) and travel. My travel entries are from various locales around the globe, including Croatia, a country where I have family.

28 thoughts on “A Decade in Dubrovnik”

  1. What a cool retrospective! I’m pretty jealous that you have been going since before Game of Thrones lol. It was on my list forever but we didn’t manage to visit until 2018 and by that time I feel like the GoT tourism was in full swing and we missed the quieter window of it being somewhat under the radar. It’s such a wonderful place and it was cool to see how similar your photos between 2001 and more recent still were!

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    1. Thank you so much, Theresa! I’m happy to hear you’ve been to Dubrovnik, even in the touristy times. I’m hoping that perhaps the novelty of GoT will begin to erode and maybe those quieter times will return somewhat, but who am I kidding!

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  2. Gorgeous! Dubrovnik is a lovely city, although I agree it’s suffering from over-tourism: I first visited in 2006 (pre-GOT hype), and it was already starting to get crowded with tourists. By the time I returned in 2018, it was PACKED! It’s wonderful you’ve gotten to visit Croatia so many times over the years with your Croatian husband, and while it’s a shame that the country’s become super touristy and expensive, it’s also generating income into its economy. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you so much, Rebecca! That’s wonderful that you were able to experience Dubrovnik back before it became so overwhelmed. Definitely an experience to be cherished! And agreed, the country has changed so much… in fact, they had to change their tourism logo more than a decade ago from “Croatia: The Mediterranean as it Once Was” to “Croatia: Full of Life!”

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  3. So many beautiful photos and a lifetime of memories. I haven’t been to Dubrovnik, but it looks like a wonderful city to visit, especially as you can walk around Dubrovnik Old Town wallΒ for an opportunity to admire the city and its surroundings from several vantage points and take some beautiful pictures of rooftop views. I’ve read all about the crowds many times, and while the crowds can be a drawback, Dubrovnik still offers a unique and enjoyable experience.Β Thanks for sharing, and have a good day πŸ™‚ Aiva xx

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    1. Agreed! It definitely still offers a unique and enjoyable experience, and going out and about in the evening after the cruisers have departed does provide a bit of a respite from the crowds. I hope you and your family can make it there one day! Have a great rest of the week 😊

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  4. You’ll be sad not to visit Croatia this year. We were in pre-war Dubrovnik and loved it. I’ve always meant to explore more of the country but it hasn’t happened yet. I say to myself maybe next year xx

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    1. Wow! Pre-war Dubrovnik… that must have been amazing, a whole other world. If you ever decide to travel to Croatia again and have any questions, just let me know! And yes, I’m really bummed we aren’t going there this year. Life seems out of balance without that trip. I miss it so much.

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      1. Thanks, Carolyn. I’ve wanted to visit Hvar and Korcula for ages but it’s quite expensive these days and not so easy to get to from here. There are so many easier places, but it still might happen. xx

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  8. It’s wonderful that you’ve been able to visit Croatia so often over the last two decades. Dubrovnik looks lovely. And it’s neat to see your pictures over the years and to hear how much things have changed with regards to tourism. We’ve never been, but it’s very high on our travel list.

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  9. You are so lucky you get to go to Croatia almost yearly. Dubrovnik had been sitting on top of my bucket list since I learned about it from watching Game of Thrones. I fear when I go it will be packed. Are there lean tourist seasons?

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    1. Thank you so much! I think the cruisers are now present in all seasons, but mid-fall might be a less crazy time. The winter months tend to have milder weather due to the Mediterranean climate, so that could work as well.

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  10. Pingback: When in doubt, stay Red – The life of B

    1. Thank you so much! I, too, like the close up and have been wanting to do something with that photo for years. It’s just been languishing in my archive so I was thrilled to finally share it. Thanks for stopping by!

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