dubrovnik, city nucleus

Dubrovnik’s old nucleus nestles with ostensible security in its medieval walls. The historic core sustained extensive damage from warfare in the 90’s but has since been immaculately rebuilt. Despite slightly more breathing room than Split, most paving stones are still claimed by cafes and restaurants. In the midday heat, gobs of tourists following flag-toting commanders gobble up the rest.

In the left image, the city wall frames a few of its ward. Such a view was a rare find. The vast extent of the wall seemed massively intact, to be walked on rather than in. The wall was more container and vantage than spatial organizer. Buildings did abut the wall but only in a few cases did they absorb it, using the top of the wall as a terrace or breaking through to claim the rocky cliff face at its base. The wall may not have been as complex as I had hoped but it was still an incredible experience to circumnavigate the old city on high.

I took the photograph at right from the wall’s highest point; a watchtower at the northern corner. The wall marches toward the sea, widening to overlook the city’s main landside entrance, doglegging around a monastic cloister in the distance, and re-ascending to veil the city atop its sea-facing cliffs. The old city strikes a remarkably valley-like posture to be so close to the sea. The landside entrance—located in the middle-ground of the wall pictured here—is directly on axis and nearly level with the seaside entrance off-camera to the left.