Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
phase and the “digital” readout: The clock-winder opens this window to get some light. The
Krasovac family was in charge of winding the clock for generations (1877-2005). During
the 1991-1992 siege, their house was destroyed—with the winding keys inside. For days,
theclockbelldidn'trun.Butthen,miraculously,thekeyswerediscoveredlyinginthestreet.
The excited Dubrovnik citizens came together in this square and cheered as the clock was
wound and the bell chimed, signaling to the soldiers surrounding the city that they hadn't
won yet. If you have a Dubrovnik Card, you can climb up to the gallery next to the tower
for a fine view of the Stradun (entrance in the passage; likely June-Sept only—as hours are
in flux, check the posted information or ask the TI for details).
The Siege of Dubrovnik
InJune 1991,Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia. Within weeks, the na-
tions were at war (for more on the war, see the Understanding Yugoslavia chapter).
Though warfare raged in the Croatian interior, nobody expected that the bloodshed
would reach Dubrovnik.
AsrefugeesfromVukovar(innortheasternCroatia)arrivedinDubrovnikthatfall,
telling horrific stories of the warfare there, local residents began fearing the worst.
Warplanes from the Serb-dominated Yugoslav People's Army buzzed threateningly
low over the town, as if to signal an impending attack.
Then, at 6:00 in the morning on October 1, 1991, Dubrovnik residents awoke to
explosions on nearby hillsides. The first attacks were focused on Mount Sr
đ
, high
above the Old Town. First the giant cross was destroyed, then a communications
tower(bothhavebeenrebuiltandarevisibletoday).Thisfirstwaveofattackscleared
the way for Yugoslav land troops—mostly Serbs and Montenegrins—who surroun-
ded the city. The ragtag, newly formed Croatian army quickly dug in at the old
Napoleonic-era fortress at the top of Mount Sr
đ
, where just 25 or 30 soldiers fended
off a Yugoslav takeover of this highly strategic position.
At first, shelling targeted military positions on the outskirts of town. But soon,
Yugoslavforcesbeganbombingresidentialneighborhoods,thenthePearloftheAdri-
atic itself: Dubrovnik's Old Town. Defenseless townspeople took shelter in their cel-
lars,andsometimesevenhuddledtogetherinthecitywall's15th-centuryforts.Itwas
the first time in Dubrovnik's long history that the walls were actually used to defend
against an attack.
