St Lawrence Fortress – Dubrovnik – Croatia

St Lawrence Fortress – Dubrovnik – Croatia is one of the most impressive locations. Built on a steep ravine that rises 37 meters above the sea.

The story tells that the Venetians intended to build their fortress at the very same spot. At the beginning of 11^th century and to control Dubrovnik. The people of Dubrovnik heard about this intention and decided to precede the Venetians. Construction starts at the beginning of the 11th century, but most of the work is done in the 15^th and 16th century. The fortress extendes and fortifies several times, primarily for the purpose of defense against the Venetians.

St Lawrence Fortress History

The St Lawrence is crucial for controlling the western approach to the city. Twenty guards lived there   all the time, and every month another nobleman from Dubrovnik came to the position of Commander.

One of the interesting facts about the fort is the difference in the thickness of the outer and inner walls. The outer walls are 4 to 12 meters thick, while the walls facing the city are only 60 centimeters thick.    The reason is, not only in the case of the attack of enemy but also the possible rebellion of the Commander in charge of the fortress. The thin part of the wall could never hold against the power from the Bokar Fortress.

Inside the fortress are three terraces. The widest one looks south, towards the sea. St Lawrence has a defence of 10 cannons. The largest cannon is named “The Lizard” and is lost at the bottom of the sea below the fort. During the Austrian occupation, they tried to take the cannon to Vienna. As they are trying to transport it, the cannon falls into the sea. It is never to be seen again.

St Lawrence – Dubrovnik – Croatia is the greatest defender of the City’s freedom for centuries. Above the entrance is engraving with timeless message – “Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world”.

St Lawrence Fortress Today

The fortress is one of the most beautiful stages for plays, above all the ever-popular Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

Nerveless, St Lawrence is also one of the main “Game of Thrones” filming locations.

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