Built triangular in shape to fit its rocky underpinning, Fort Lawrence (Lovrjenac) is known as Dubrovnik's Gibraltar. The rock base is not level -- creating the need for the three terraces we see here. (Today these terraces make a great backdrop for the Summer Festival's staging of "Hamlet" as Danish ghosts walk these walls.) The sea-side walls are very thick -- nearly 40 feet thick -- to resist the enemy cannons. By contrast, the walls facing the city are thin and easily breached. The reason for this is that Dubrovnik wanted to ensure that the fort commander would not use his position to seize control of the city he was sworn to protect.
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