Sights in Dubrovnik - Croatia and Slovenia - page 477

quires a ticket and has good English explanations, is skippable, but it does offer a glimpse
of Dubrovnik in its glory days. Even if you pass on the interior, the palace's exterior and
courtyard are viewable at no charge.
Cost and Hours: 70kn,ticket alsoincludes Maritime Museum andRupeEthnographic-
alMuseum,dailyMay-Oct9:00-18:00,Nov-April9:00-16:00,somepostedEnglishinform-
ation, 7-kn English booklet is helpful, Pred Dvorom 3, tel. [phone].
Visiting the Palace: The exterior isdecoratedintheGothic-Renaissance mix(withpar-
ticularly finely carved capitals) that was so common in Dubrovnik before the 1667 earth-
quake. Above the entrance is the message Obliti privatorum publica curate —loosely trans-
lated, “Forget your personal affairs and concern yourself with the affairs of state.” This was
a bold statement in a feudal era before democracy, when aristocrats were preoccupied ex-
clusively with their self-interests.
Standing at the main door, you can generally get a free look at the palace's impressive
courtyard —a venue for the Summer Festival, hosting music groups ranging from the local
symphony to the Vienna Boys' Choir. During Dubrovnik's Golden Age, this courtyard was
open to the public. People would wander in and out—gossiping, washing their laundry in
the fountain, and bringing food to family members imprisoned in the cells. In the courtyard
(and also visible from the door) is the only secular statue created during the centuries-long
Republic. Dubrovnik republicans, mindful of the dangers of hero-worship, didn't believe
that any one citizen should be singled out. They made only one exception—for Miho Pracat
(a.k.a. Michaeli Prazatto), a rich citizen who donated vast sums to charity and willed a fleet
of ships to the city. But notice that Pracat's statue is displayed in here, behind closed doors,
not out in public.