BELL TOWER

Dubrovnik, Croatia

The Bell Tower in the old part of the town is 115 feet tall, and dates back to 1444. It is the visual anchor for a long pedestrian street inside the walled part of the city. The tower had fallen into disrepair and was rebuilt in 1928. The modem clock is a faithful replica of the original, with bronze jacks in the form of soldiers (Maro and Baro) that pop out with the bell sounding on the hour. The original figured time indicator dates back to 1478, and can be seen in Sponza palace nearby. The huge bell in the tower, weighing nearly one thousand pounds, is the original from the first bell tower. The bell was cast in 1506 by Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin, known as John the Baptist of Rab. The adjoining building, the Main Guard, was constructed in 1706-1708, and it incorporates a Gothic upper story from 1490 from the Ragusan admiral's house. That was also the date the baroque portal was inserted, under the design by Marino Gropelli.

Dubrovnik was the second stop on our 2008 Mediterranean cruise. The city surprised us. Much of the city had been destroyed by World War II bombing, but the city was rebuilt on the hillsides overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Care was taken to recreate the beauty of its history and location. Orange tile roofs are everywhere, and the city is quaint and clean. The fortress walls around the old city hints that others have coveted what they saw there. We loved the city and agreed to return.