Dubrovnik history

The area around Dubrovnik has been permanently settled since the 7th century, and for centuries the city (known until 1918 as the Republic of Ragusa) was a free city-state that stood as one of the most important in the Mediterranean, staving off attack from both the Venetians and the Ottomans. Its sturdy city walls have never been breached, however, with their most recent test coming in 1991-1992 when Serb and Montenegrin paramilitaries laid siege to the city.

The only legacy of this brutal attack are a swathe of bright orange roof tiles (the lighter tiles come from the original quarry which closed before 1991), and the boards located at the gates to the Old Town, which show where the shells hit.