Fort Lovrijenac: The Gibraltar of Dubrovnik and Non Bene Pro Toto

Why is it significant?

Climb the winding stone stairs up the sheer limestone sea cliff to the entrance of Fort Lovrijenac, soaring thirty-seven meters above the crashing Adriatic waves.

Key Facts

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Climb the winding stone stairs up the sheer limestone sea cliff to the entrance of Fort Lovrijenac, soaring thirty-seven meters above the crashing Adriatic waves. Above the heavy oak entrance gate, run your fingers beneath the famous Latin inscription carved into the lintel: Non Bene Pro Toto Libertas Venditur Auro—Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world.

In the early eleventh century, the rival Republic of Venice secretly planned to build a fortress on this exact cliff to conquer Dubrovnik. Alert citizens discovered the plot, and within three miraculous months, day and night, they raised their own fortress here, turning back the arriving Venetian fleet with artillery fire.

Notice the clever military design: the sea-facing outer walls are up to twelve meters thick, but the wall facing back toward Dubrovnik is barely sixty centimeters thick—so that if a commander ever rebelled, the city's cannons could destroy it instantly.

Gaze out over the sweeping vista of the white medieval city and azure sea. You have walked the indomitable soul of Ragusa.