Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
After adding Dubrovnik to his holdings, Napoleon built a fortress atop the hill behind the
Old Town to keep an eye onhis new subjects (in 1810).During the city's 20th-century tour-
ism heyday, a cable car was built to effortlessly whisk visitors to the top so they could en-
joy the fine views from the fortress and the giant cross nearby. Then, when war broke out
in the 1990s, Mount Sr
đ
(pronounced like “surge”) became a crucial link in the defense of
Dubrovnik—the only high land that locals were able to hold. The fortress was shelled and
damaged, and the cross and cable car were destroyed. Minefields and unexploded ordnance
left the hilltop a dangerous no-man's land. But more recently, the mountain's fortunes have
reversed. The landmines have been removed, and in 2010, the cable car was rebuilt to once
again connect Dubrovnik's Old Town to its mountaintop. Visitors head to the top both for
the spectacular sweeping views and to ponder the exhibits in a ragtag museum about the
war.
Warning:
While this area has officially been cleared of landmines, nervous locals re-
mind visitors that this was once a war zone. Be sure to stay on clearly defined paths and
roads.
