Croatia - Eastern Europe - page 147

The Heat
When Dubrovnik's temperature is above 80°F (27°C)—the average temperature
May through September—tackle the wall when it opens at 9am, or wait until
after 5pm. Besides being atop a high roof, you'll be standing on an unshaded
stone path that absorbs the sun's heat from dawn to dusk and you'll be
“cooked” from above and below. At the very least, take along a large bottle of
water.

Tips

You can access the wall at three points: just inside the Pile Gate, near the Maritime
Museum/John's Fortress, and near the Dominican Monastery at the Plo c e Gate. The
entire circuit takes about an hour, longer if you're inclined to stop and gape at the
spectacular scenery, but you can do a half-walk, too. If you start at the Pile Gate
entrance, you'll walk up a steep flight of stairs through an arch topped by a statue of
St. Blaise. If you want to do the entire 360-degree stroll, continue straight up toward
the Min c eta Tower, which is recognizable by its distinctive “crown.” If you decide on
the partial walk, halfway up the stairs you'll have to do a 180 from the stairs via a small
landing to reach the wall, and you'll exit near St. John's Fortress on the south side.
The 16th-century Revelin Fort is on the eastern side of the wall above the Plo c e Gate;
and the 15th-century Bokar Fortress, which guarded against sea incursions, is at the
southwestern corner across from the 12th-century Lovrijenac Fortress.
Old Town. 50kn ($8.60/£4.60) adults 30kn ($3.45/£1.85); children 5-14 10kn ($2/£1); audio rental 40kn ($7/£3.65).
July-Aug daily 9am-7:30pm; hours vary other times.
STRADUN DISTRICT
Old Town's western gate, the Pile Gate , is its busiest point of entry, largely
because buses from the city, airport, and ferry terminals deposit their passengers there.
A stone bridge leads to the outer gate, guarded by a statue of St. Blaise and during the
summer, honor guards in period costume stand there mornings and evenings greeting
tourists. The interior gate was built in the 15th century and it, too, has a statue of
St. Blaise—this one by Ivan Me s trovi 5 , Croatia's premier sculptor.
When you enter Old Town through either the Pile Gate or the Plo c e Gate, you will
find one of Onofrio's Fountains . They were constructed in the 15th century
so visitors could wash away plague before they entered the city. The fountains pro-
vided clean, cold water via an aqueduct from the Dubrovnik River (Rijeka
Dubrova c ka), 11km (7 miles) away, but their efficacy as germ killers is questionable.
The larger fountain at the Pile Gate looks like a domed vat decorated with 16 stone
heads, the only ornamentation remaining from the original, thanks to the 1667 quake
and the 1991-92 siege. Water from the Lu z a Square fountain flows through a more

Water World
While the water flowing into both Onofrio fountains is pristine and drinkable,
beware filling your canteen from the Ploce Gate structure because pigeons
habitually perch atop the fountain's top layer, through which the water moves.

Warning