Fort Lovrijenac and the Motto of Freedom
Why is it significant?
Climb to the threshold of Fort Lovrijenac — Dubrovnik's legendary detached citadel, reigning thirty-seven meters above the Adriatic on an isolated sea cliff.
Key Facts
| Place | Fort Lovrijenac and the Motto of Freedom |
|---|---|
| Address | Od Tabakarije 29, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia |
| Geo Coordinates | 42.64050, 18.10300 |
| Part of Walk | Fort Lovrijenac, Gradac Park and Danče Bay: The Maritime Shield of Dubrovnik |
| Generated | Generated |
Climb to the threshold of Fort Lovrijenac — Dubrovnik's legendary detached citadel, reigning thirty-seven meters above the Adriatic on an isolated sea cliff. Above the heavy oak entrance portal, run your fingers beneath the famous Latin inscription carved into the stone lintel: Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro — Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world. This proud civic motto guided generations of Ragusan patriots and diplomats throughout centuries of foreign pressure.
Local chronicles tell a story of strategic cunning. In the early eleventh century, the rival Republic of Venice secretly dispatched a fleet loaded with timber and stone to erect a fortress on this cliff and dominate Dubrovnik. Alert citizens uncovered the conspiracy, and working around the clock in three shifts, they completed their own fortress in three miraculous months, greeting the arriving Venetian galleys with artillery fire that forced them to retreat.
Observe the brilliant military geometry: the seaward-facing walls are up to twelve meters thick, capable of withstanding bombardments from the heaviest naval guns. However, the inner wall facing Dubrovnik is barely sixty centimeters thick — so that if a fortress commander ever mutinied against the senate, the city's cannons on the ramparts could easily demolish it in minutes. Ten heavy cannons once guarded the sea approaches from the three tiered gun decks of Lovrijenac, the most famous being the legendary bronze cannon known as the Lizard, cast in 1537 by master founder Ivan Rabljanin.
Standing upon the uppermost gun platform, you gaze across the most celebrated panorama in Croatia: the entire medieval Old Town spreads before you, its terracotta roofs and stone bastions framed by the azure sea. Today Lovrijenac serves as the celebrated stage for Shakespeare's Hamlet during the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, where art and architecture unite under the stars in unforgettable dramatic performances.
Descend the western path and enter the pine-shaded tranquility of Gradac Park.