Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mountaintop:
From the top cable-car station, head up the stairs to the panoramic
terrace. The bird's-eye
view
is truly spectacular, looking straight down to the street plan of
Dubrovnik's Old Town. From this lofty perch, you can see north to the Dalmatian islands
(the Elaphite archipelago, Mljet, Kor
č
ula, and beyond); south to Montenegro; and east into
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Gazing upon those looming mountains that define the border with
Bosnia-Herzegovina—which, centuries ago, was also the frontier of the huge and powerful
Ottoman Empire—you can appreciate how impressive it was that stubborn little Dubrovnik
managed to remain independent for so much of its history.
The
cross
was always an important symbol in this very Catholic town. After it was des-
troyed, a temporary wooden one was erected to encourage the townspeople who were wait-
ing out the siege below. During a visit in 2003, Pope John Paul II blessed the rubble from
the old cross; those fragments are now being used in the foundations of the city's newest
churches. Nearby stands a huge red, white, and blue flagpole—the colors of the Croatian
flag.
