Sponza Palace and Orlando's Column: Knight of the Free Republic
Why is it significant?
Stand in Luža Square and admire the intricate lace-like tracery of Sponza Palace, where Renaissance loggias seamlessly blend with Venetian Gothic pointed windows.
Key Facts
| Place | Sponza Palace and Orlando's Column: Knight of the Free Republic |
|---|---|
| Address | Stradun 2, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia |
| Geo Coordinates | 42.64130, 18.11050 |
| Part of Walk | Dubrovnik: Pearl of the Adriatic, White Stone Walls, and King's Landing |
| Generated | Generated |
Stand in Luža Square and admire the intricate lace-like tracery of Sponza Palace, where Renaissance loggias seamlessly blend with Venetian Gothic pointed windows. Right in front of you rises Orlando's Column, carved with the resolute figure of the medieval knight Roland in armor, holding a naked sword aloft.
Built in fifteen sixteen by master Paskoje Miličević, Sponza was the financial powerhouse of the Republic: customs house, state mint, and bank. An inscription above the central archway proudly reminded merchants: Our weights do not permit cheating; when I measure goods, God measures with me.
Orlando's Column was not just a monument: the length of the knight's right forearm—exactly fifty-one point two centimeters—was the official legal unit of measurement for cloth in the Republic, known as the Ragusan cubit or lakat.
Turn toward the magnificent Rector's Palace and Saint Blaise Church.