In the city of Dubrovnik, a port of Dalmatia, Croatia

 “If you want to see paradise on Earth, come to Dubrovnik.” -- George Bernard Shaw

===================================================================
(in Croatia) The city of Dubrovnik, a port of Dalmatia, is found on the southern Adriatic Sea coast. One of loveliest places on the Dalmatian coast, it is known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic.” Dubrovnik occupies a promontory jutting into the sea under Mount Srdj; the port’s sea fortifications rise dramatically from the water’s edge. The city was founded about 614 as Rausa, or Ragusium, by Roman refugees fleeing the Slav and Avar sack of Epidaurus, to the southeast. A colony of Slavs soon joined the Romans here, and from an early date the city formed a link between two great civilizations. After the fall of Rome, Dubrovnik was ruled by the Byzantine Empire. From the 9th to the 12th century it defended itself against foreign powers, and in the period 1205 to 1358 it acknowledged Venetian suzerainty. In 1420, when Dalmatia was sold to Venice, Dubrovnik remained a free city in all but name. For centuries the people of Dubrovnik were able to preserve their city-republic by skillful maneuvering between East and West.

+ In 1667 an earthquake destroyed parts of the city and killed as many as 5,000 residents. (The republic did not regain its prosperity until the Napoleonic Wars.) Napoleon I subjugated Dubrovnik in 1808, and the Congress of Vienna (in 1815) gave Dubrovnik to Austria; in 1918 it was incorporated into Yugoslavia. Many of Dubrovnik’s historic buildings suffered damage in 1991–92 during Croatia’s struggle for independence, but much of the old city has since been restored.

+ The city walls, mostly a double line, have long been a source of pride for Dubrovnik. The walls were erected by the 16th century and run a course of about 1,940 meters in length, encircling most of the old city, and reach a maximum height of about 25 meters. Along its course and within the walls lie several towers and fortresses, as well as numerous historic monuments. Beyond the walls are many villas surrounded by gardens. (The basic city plan dates from 1292, when the port was rebuilt following a fire.) The Stradun {main street), with beautiful late-Renaissance houses on each side, runs along a valley that, until 1272, was a marshy channel dividing the Latin island of Ragusa from the forest settlement of Dubrovnik. No motor vehicles are allowed inside the walls, and, except for the Stradun, the Old Town is a maze of picturesque narrow streets, many of them steep and twisting. Two 14th-century convents stand at the ends of the city; the Franciscans guarded the western gate, while the Dominicans kept the eastern. The Rector’s Palace was the seat of government of the Dubrovnik Republic. Other notable structures include numerous fortresses, a 16-sided fountain and bell tower, and a 15th-century Jewish synagogue that is among the oldest in Europe. (The island of Lokrum is famous for its gardens and orange groves; it also includes a fortress and monastery.)