Dubrovnik's historic core compresses centuries of Mediterranean history inside a formidable circuit of walls. Known historically as Ragusa, the city became an important sea power from the 13th century, using diplomacy, trade and a sophisticated civic administration to protect its autonomy. UNESCO inscribed the Old City in 1979 under criteria recognizing its architecture, urban ensemble and historical testimony; later boundary changes incorporated related places including parts of Pile, Lovrijenac, the Lazareti, harbour works and Lokrum.
The main street, Stradun, provides an elegant axis, but Dubrovnik is understood in the lanes climbing away from it. The Rector's Palace embodies a government designed to restrain individual power. The Franciscan and Dominican complexes preserve religious, artistic and scholarly histories. Onofrio's fountains recall the 15th-century aqueduct, while the harbour reveals why walls and commerce were inseparable.
