The White City

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I heard about Dubrovnik for the first time back in 1995 when I was traveling through Hungary. Some people I was traveling with were lamenting that this city, the Jewel of the Adriatic, had been severely bombed and damaged during the recent civil war. One of them wanted to go see it anyway, saying that she thought it would still be one of the most beautiful cities of the world, even amidst the rubble. At that time the civil war was still in full swing in many parts of the former Yugoslavia and heading south of Budapest seemed like lunacy, so I declined the invitation to join her.

Now, twelve years later, I have finally seen Dubrovnik, and despite much anticipation, my first walk in the city still took my breath away. My joints were creaking and my eyes were heavy from the daylong bus ride, but my jaw dropped at the sight of the gleaming white Placa (main pedestrian walkway) and the narrow, windy “streets” that gorgeously creep up the hillside in flights of stone stairs. Wandering through Dubrovnik just after dusk, as the Placa lamps start to glow, is like sleepwalking in a medieval dream.

The city was built from nearby quarries of limestone in the 13th century, and quickly became a vibrant point of trade between greedy empires that were uncomfortably closeby. Always conscious of its precarious geography, the city maintained a campaign of strenuous diplomacy with its enemies that somehow enabled it to avoid conquest when every other place in the Balkans was ruled by foreign powers. Essentially, Dubrovnik was left alone to make its money and pay its tributes.

Today, Dubrovnik is still a moneymaker, but now as the focal point of tourism in the Dalmatian region. In my opinion, it provides many examples of what is good and bad about the commercialization of Croatia in general. Tourism is an engine of growth, no doubt, and has set Croatia on its path to membership in the EU in 2010 (which, increasingly, the Croats are ambivalent about). But, a big tourism industry requires that a country “sell itself” in order to make itself attractive to the masses. In essence, you have to become less of what you are in order to be more palatable to more people. The food is blander, the music more Western, and everyone speaks English.

It’s no surprise that Dubrovnik, which has always excelled at making money, should be gifted at this new type of trade. Restaurants line every inch of the sidewalk with waiters who harass you with a smile and a menu of overpriced dishes. Anything purchased on the Placa is three times as much as it would be just five feet away on a side street. However obsequious the service anywhere may be, the bill will inevitably contain an outrageously priced item, like bread or water, that you thought was included. I'm all for the boost that tourism has given the Croatian economy, but the fact is that after three days Dubrovnik can feel a bit predatory.

To make matters worse, cruise ships regularly pulled into the harbor and discharged thousands of passengers into the tiny Stari Grad (Old City), prompting me to escape to the nearby and much quieter island of Lostrum one day, and to go on an extended kayaking trip on another. It was impossible even to move down the street, yet the town politicians tout plans to increase the level of tourism. I talked to one construction worker who complained of the crowds and said that only 1/3 of the population of the Stari Grad are Croats. He added that the sewage and plumbing of the old town is still from the 1300s, that it cannot sustain the number of people that flood its streets daily. I guess the moral here is that there is such a thing as too much tourism. Even the beauty of a city like Dubrovnik can be compromised. Well, at least I got to see the town while it was still white

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Comments

[Melinda]

I love your commentary
and your way of pooling the scenery, the people, the culture and the history into a narrative that shares the uniqueness of each location you visit. Thank you for taking the time to share your trip from the road. - Me!