Adriatic Incentives takes pride in creating signature event setups at St. Lovrijenac Fortress thus blending the cultural heritage with natural beauty of Medieval City of Dubrovnik, a former capital of the Ragusa Republic from the Renaissance period.
St. Lovrijenac Fortress, along with many other distinctive and historic locations in Dubrovnik, is the essence of our promise in creating service magic with the help of a network of expert catering professionals, such as Catering Modri Pjat.
Historical Context & Significance
Also known as the Gibraltar of Dubrovnik, the Fortress’ triangular shape dominates the landscape and has three levels reaching the height of 37 meters. Its present appearance stemmed from locals fearing Venetians who were rumored to build their own fortress on the rock in order to control Dubrovnik. Shortly after the fortress was built, the Venetians came with ships full of materials, but had returned without finishing the planned construction, thus making Lovrijenac a symbol of resistance against Venice.
Intriguing Facts
Fortress had stationed a distinctive, 4-meter long, heavy and richly ornamented cannon nicknamed “The Lizard”. The cannon’s extensive firing supposedly discouraged Venetians from launching the attack on Dubrovnik at a critical moment, shortly after 1667 earthquake when the city was highly vulnerable. Eventually, there was an attempt by the Austrian Empire to take the Lizard as a war artifact to be displayed as a part of the permanent exhibit in one of Vienna’s museums. During the transport, it had dropped into the sea and had never been found since, despite several diving expedition attempts.
Inside walls of the fortress are purposefully only 60cm thick, so that the cannons from the walls can break them in case the fortress fall into enemy hands. On the contrary, the outside walls of the fortress that face the open sea are 12 meters thick.
Fort Lovrijenac had become synonymous for hosting Hamlet, a high profile theatrical performance. In one occasion, this role was played by Daniel Day Lewis, the famous Oscar winner
Some of the world’s best divers used to perform highly impressive and dangerous stunts from Lovrijenac. Many amateurs unfortunately lost lives in their efforts to impress women.
Cannon had been regularly fired from the fortress each day marking noon – this practice was stopped after WWI and was never resumed.
At the entrance to the fortress there is a carved inscription stating “Non bene pro toto libertas venditu auro” or in translation “Freedom is not sold for all the treasures of the world”
Tell Us About Your Event
Please reach out to us directly for a personalized booking service of your tailor made event at + 385 913581888 or info@adriaticincentives.com. We are excited to go through a step-by-step process in preparing your event of the lifetime.