Lovrijenac: the rock fortress guarding Dubrovnik
Lovrijenac (St Lawrence Fortress), often called “Dubrovnik's Gibraltar”, stands on a 37-metre rock just outside the western wall of the Old Town. It overshadows both the sea entrance and the land entrance to the city. Tradition says Dubrovnik built it in three months to beat Venice to the spot, and today it is best known as the stage for Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Lovrijenac's walls are up to 12 metres thick on the sea side but only 60 centimetres where they face Dubrovnik. The city built in a safeguard against its own fortress commander.
The history of Lovrijenac
According to the Chronicles of Ragusa, the Venetians tried in the early 11th century to build a fort on the rock where Lovrijenac now stands. Had they succeeded, they would have held Dubrovnik in their power. The citizens learned of the plan and built their own fort in only three months; when Venetian ships arrived loaded with building materials, they were told to sail home. Chronologists date the fort to 1018 or 1038, but the first firm record is from 1301, when the council voted on who would be its commander.
The fort took shape during the 14th century and was rebuilt again and again. The main works came in the 15th and 16th centuries, when the town builder I. K. Zanchi of Pesaro was involved, and repairs followed the earthquake of 1667. Lovrijenac is triangular, following the shape of the rock, with three terraces and a square courtyard with large vaults. Its walls are up to 12 metres thick towards the sea, yet only 60 centimetres thick towards the city. The reason was security: if the commander ever turned rebel, the neighbouring Bokar fortress could easily break through. For the same reason the commander was always chosen from the city's nobles and held office for just one month.
The garrison counted 25 soldiers and the commander, supported by about ten cannons. The best known was nicknamed Gušter, the Lizard, for its green patina. In October 1814 the Austrians, trying to carry it off to a museum in Vienna, pulled down the inner gate with its inscription. French Wikipedia adds that the cannon fell into the sea during the operation and was never recovered.
Lovrijenac found a second life as a stage in the 20th century. From 4 April 1911 until the First World War a shot from its cannon marked noon. In 1933 a second path was built for the PEN congress, and since the 1950s the fortress has hosted the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, where Hamlet has become a symbol of the event.
Curiosities about Lovrijenac
- The Chronicles of Ragusa claim the fort went up in just three months, beating a Venetian plan to build on the same rock.
- The walls are 12 metres thick on the outer side and only 60 centimetres on the city side, so the rest of Dubrovnik's defences could retake it quickly if it fell.
- The commander was always a noble of the city and served for one month only, to remove the risk of a mutiny.
- Above the gate is the Latin motto Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro, “Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world”, which later became a motto of the city. German Wikipedia notes it is sometimes attributed to the builder or a poet but is said to go back to a fable by Aesop.
- From 4 April 1911 a cannon shot from Lovrijenac marked midday in Dubrovnik until the start of the First World War.
- Productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream were staged here in the summers of 2017 and 2018.
Lovrijenac on screen
Besides the theatre, the fortress has also served as a television location.
- Knightfall (2017) – Filming of this historical drama about the Knights Templar began in the last week of June 2017 around the fort and the bay of Pile, in scenes meant to depict the Siege of Acre in 1291.
Tours near Lovrijenac
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Lovrijenac
- The fortress sits on its rock outside the western wall of the Old Town and is reached by two drawbridges. Check the current opening hours before you go.
- Look above the gate for the Latin inscription about liberty, and note the three terraces and the square courtyard with its large vaults.
- The fort has a permanent source of drinking water in a cistern fed by a spring on the rock, with a Latin inscription above it.
- If you visit in summer, check the programme of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, which uses the fortress as an open-air stage.
- Pile bay and the Bokar fortress lie close by; the fort's thickest wall was built to face the sea.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Lovrijenac is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Lovrijenac
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Questions
Where is Lovrijenac and how high is it?
Lovrijenac stands on a rock 37 metres above sea level, just outside the western wall of Dubrovnik's Old Town.
Why is Lovrijenac called Dubrovnik's Gibraltar?
It is a nickname for its strong position: the fort overshadows both entrances to the city, from the sea and from the land.
When was Lovrijenac built?
Chronologists date it to 1018 or 1038, and tradition says it took only three months. The first firm record dates from 1301.
What does the inscription above the gate of Lovrijenac mean?
Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro means that liberty cannot be sold for all the gold in the world.
Why are the walls of Lovrijenac so thin on the city side?
They are only 60 centimetres thick so that Dubrovnik's other defences could break in easily if the fort fell into enemy hands or its commander rebelled.
Was anything filmed or staged at Lovrijenac?
Yes. It is the stage for Hamlet at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, and scenes of the series Knightfall were filmed around it in 2017.
Also nearby
St Blaise's Church
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Walls of Ston
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Pelješac Bridge
Pelješac · 2.4 km cable-stayed bridge opened in 2022
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Narona
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