Let's now trek down the Placa (Stradun) towards that distant clock tower that anchors the eastern Loggia or Loza square. The buildings on each side were constructed by order of the Senate after the 1667 earthquake had leveled the heterogeneous collection of Renaissance palaces that the nobility had created. The Senate dictated baroque fronts of approximately the same height -- with retail space on the first floor. Today almost all of the retail is dedicated to the tourist trade -- only 3 stores in all of the old town sell food to the locals.That earthquake was the beginning of the end of Dubrovnik's golden age. Diplomacy --and the town walls which survived -- kept its enemies at bay as the damaged and vulnerable town rebuilt. About 140 years later the Republic became part of the French empire (for a while.) Pay attention when towers collapse.
First | Previous Picture | Next Picture | Last
