![Main street-Dubrovnik-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Main_street-Dubrovnik-2.jpg)
Stradun () or Placa (''Stradone'' or ''Corso'') is the
main street of
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
. The limestone-paved pedestrian street runs some 300
metres through the Old Town, the historic part of the city surrounded by the
Walls of Dubrovnik.
The site of the present-day street used to be a marshy channel which separated Ragusa from the forest settlement of Dubrava before it was reclaimed in the 13th century.
Stradun stretches through the walled town in the east-west direction, connecting the western entrance called the "Pile Gate" (''Vrata od Pila'') to the "Ploče Gate" (''Vrata od Ploča'') on the eastern end. Both ends are also marked with 15th-century fountains (the so-called ''Large Onofrio's Fountain'' in the western section and the ''Small Onofrio's Fountain'' on the east end) and
bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...
s (the
Dubrovnik Bell Tower to the east end and the bell tower attached to the
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
monastery to the west).
Stradun became the city's main thoroughfare in the 13th century, and its current appearance was for the most part created following the devastating
1667 earthquake in which most of the buildings in Ragusa (as Dubrovnik was then called) were destroyed. Before the earthquake the houses which line the street were not so uniformly designed as they appear today, with many of them featuring
arcades and elaborate decorations.
Following the 1667 earthquake and a large fire which broke out immediately afterwards, the
Republic of Ragusa
hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world"
, population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century
, currency = ...
passed a law which specified the layout of all future residential buildings constructed in the city.
Because of this all of the 17th-century houses lining the Stradun share the same pattern - the ground level always housed a shop with a street entrance featuring a door and a window in a single frame under a semicircular arch (during the day the door would be kept closed and goods would be handed to customers over the sill, thereby serving as a counter),
and a storage room in the back with a separate alley entrance. The first floor was reserved for the living area and the second floor had various rooms, while the kitchen was invariably located in the
loft
A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...
above the second floor, to prevent the spread of potential fires.
In recent times, the Stradun and some of the surrounding houses were damaged in mortar shelling during the
Siege of Dubrovnik
The siege of Dubrovnik ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, opsada Dubrovnika, опсада Дубровника) was a military engagement fought between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Croatian forces defending the city of Dubrovnik and its surroundings dur ...
in 1991–92,
but most of the damage has since been repaired.
Many of the historic buildings and monuments in Dubrovnik are situated along the Stradun, because of which it serves as a popular
esplanade for tourists. A
procession for the Feast of
Saint Blaise
Blaise of Sebaste ( hy, Սուրբ Վլասի, ''Surb Vlasi''; el, Ἅγιος Βλάσιος, ''Agios Vlasios''; ) was a physician and bishop of Sebastea in historical Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey) who is venerated as a Christian saint and m ...
, the patron saint of Dubrovnik, passes through Stradun every year on 3 February.
Occasional concerts are also held at Stradun and it is regularly used as the site of
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
celebrations.
On 8 July 2010 Stradun was also site of a fund-raising exhibition
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
match played by
Goran Ivanišević and
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...
in front of an audience of 600 and televised live in 10 countries.
Gallery
Stradun, Dubrovnik - September 2017.jpg, Stradun bustling during main season.
Casco viejo de Dubrovnik, Croacia, 2014-04-13, DD 12.JPG, Stradun by night.
Velika Onofrijeva česma.JPG, The Large Onofrio's Fountain.
See also
*
1667 Dubrovnik earthquake
The 1667 Dubrovnik earthquake was one of the three most devastating earthquakes to hit what is now modern Croatia in the last 2,400 years, since records began. The entire city was almost destroyed and around 3,000 to 5,000 people were killed. The ...
*
St. Saviour Church, Dubrovnik
)
, fullname =
, image = StSaviourChurch-Dubrovnik1.jpg
, imagesize = 350
, caption =
, location = Dubrovnik
, country = Croatia
, coordinates =
, denomi ...
*
Walls of Dubrovnik
References
{{coord, 42, 38, 29, N, 18, 06, 29, E, region:HR_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title
Dubrovnik
Pedestrian malls
Shopping districts and streets in Croatia
Pedestrian infrastructure in Croatia