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Dubrovnik’s Summer Festival since 1950
by Anne Heffernan
The old city of Dubrovnik’s main thoroughfare brought me right back to my schooldays and the film of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, with its colourful costumes and busy marketplace. I was transported back in time from once I stepped inside its ancient walls and confronted its closely built medieval buildings.
Almost every building of this UNESCO World Heritage Site has been superbly restored, having suffered severe destruction during the Yugoslav War in 1991, bringing visitors right into the heart of medieval living. This is where Dubrovnik’s cosmopolitan inhabitants now live, work and socialise.
Their buildings are used as modern homes with shops at street level, for ease of access and there’s not a gaudy neon light in sight!
The narrow alleyways are home to a wealth of restaurants, cafés and bistros giving a welcome shade from the sun. A refreshing, sea breeze from the deep, blue Adriatic surrounding the walled town, keeps the atmosphere airy and light in the streets, while restaurants bustle with customers as they savour their meal al fresco or enjoy a refreshing beer or smooth cappuccino, to the sounds of outdoor concerts.
Dubrovnik is a feast to music and cultural enthusiasts with free concerts and recitals particularly throughout the summer, as the Dubrovnik Summer Festival gets under way. Throughout July and August each year the city streets, squares and churches welcome Croatia’s biggest cultural event, with a spectacular opening ceremony, followed by concerts, recitals and theatrical performances delighting locals and visitors alike.
As dusk turns to dark in the city and pavement bars and restaurants magically light up, Dubrovnik takes on a fairytale feel, where fun and friendships blossom and flourish effortlessly.
It is a truly magical city – a place that feels cut off from the outside world – enclosed within its protective walls from all that might disturb it.
Just walking from the new town and Dubrovnik harbour towards the old walled town, I felt a sense that I was nearing paradise, as I looked downward to the deep, blue sea surrounding this ancient city. It created a longing deep within that somehow, someway I might just be able to stay here and enjoy this serene and beautiful place forever.
Besides being one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited with an abundance of cultural events at every turn, it also has a very pleasant climate, due to its position, right on the sea shore. The average temperature in July/August is a pleasant 25°C to 28°C and locals say it never drops below about 9° in winter.
Almost every building of this UNESCO World Heritage Site has been superbly restored, having suffered severe destruction during the Yugoslav War in 1991, bringing visitors right into the heart of medieval living. This is where Dubrovnik’s cosmopolitan inhabitants now live, work and socialise.
Their buildings are used as modern homes with shops at street level, for ease of access and there’s not a gaudy neon light in sight!
The narrow alleyways are home to a wealth of restaurants, cafés and bistros giving a welcome shade from the sun. A refreshing, sea breeze from the deep, blue Adriatic surrounding the walled town, keeps the atmosphere airy and light in the streets, while restaurants bustle with customers as they savour their meal al fresco or enjoy a refreshing beer or smooth cappuccino, to the sounds of outdoor concerts.
Dubrovnik is a feast to music and cultural enthusiasts with free concerts and recitals particularly throughout the summer, as the Dubrovnik Summer Festival gets under way. Throughout July and August each year the city streets, squares and churches welcome Croatia’s biggest cultural event, with a spectacular opening ceremony, followed by concerts, recitals and theatrical performances delighting locals and visitors alike.
As dusk turns to dark in the city and pavement bars and restaurants magically light up, Dubrovnik takes on a fairytale feel, where fun and friendships blossom and flourish effortlessly.
It is a truly magical city – a place that feels cut off from the outside world – enclosed within its protective walls from all that might disturb it.
Just walking from the new town and Dubrovnik harbour towards the old walled town, I felt a sense that I was nearing paradise, as I looked downward to the deep, blue sea surrounding this ancient city. It created a longing deep within that somehow, someway I might just be able to stay here and enjoy this serene and beautiful place forever.
Besides being one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited with an abundance of cultural events at every turn, it also has a very pleasant climate, due to its position, right on the sea shore. The average temperature in July/August is a pleasant 25°C to 28°C and locals say it never drops below about 9° in winter.
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