Rector's Palace: The Republic That Outlived Empires
Why is it significant?
Walk under the elegant classical portico of the Rector's Palace and look up at the Latin inscription carved in stone above the grand council hall doorway: Obliti Privatorum Publica Curate—Forget your private affairs and attend to the public good.
Key Facts
| Place | Rector's Palace: The Republic That Outlived Empires |
|---|---|
| Address | Pred Dvorom 3, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia |
| Geo Coordinates | 42.64050, 18.11060 |
| Part of Walk | Dubrovnik: Pearl of the Adriatic, White Stone Walls, and King's Landing |
| Generated | Generated |
Walk under the elegant classical portico of the Rector's Palace and look up at the Latin inscription carved in stone above the grand council hall doorway: Obliti Privatorum Publica Curate—Forget your private affairs and attend to the public good.
The head of the Republic of Ragusa, the Knež or Rector, was elected from among the aristocratic senators for a term of only one single month. During those thirty days, the Rector was forbidden to leave this palace without permission from the senate, and could not be accompanied by his family, ensuring that power could never be seized by an aspiring dictator.
In the palace courtyard stands the only public statue erected by the Republic during its entire seven-hundred-year history: honoring Miho Pracat, a commoner sea merchant who bequeathed his entire vast fortune to the state in sixteen oh seven.
Walk through the vaulted passage beside the palace into the picturesque Old Port.