Dubrovnik - the history, the culture, the venue
Dubrovnik, the host city of the next iCommons Summit, prides itself on having a long history and rich cultural heritage. Located at the extreme south end of the Croatian Adriatic coast-line, it was founded in the 7th century by the Italic population of the nearby Epidaurus (nowadays Cavtat) who fled north-west from the Avar and Slavic raiders, and settled on a small island very close to the coast. The island was named Ragusa. In the 12th century it finally merged with the Slavic settlement of Dubrava on the coast and the channel was filled to create the main street of Dubrovnik - Stradun.
After centuries of Byzantine and Venetian rule, Dubrovnik came under the sovereignty of the Hungarian-Croatian Kingdom in 1358 and was given the status of a free state - the Republic of Ragusa. During this period of independence, (which would last until the Napoleoniac conquest in 1806) the Republic attained a great might on sea and in trade, rivalled only by the Republic of Venice. It saw the advancement of art and science, as it bore great Renaissance and Baroque artists and scientists such as Marin Drizic, Ivan Gundulic and Rudjer Boscovich.
After three and a half centuries of the rise and decline of liberty and prosperity, the city’s fortune changed when it was hit by a devastating earthquake in 1667. The liberty of the Republic (lat. “Libertas” - meaning ‘freedom’ is inscribed in the historic insignias of Dubrovnik) from without was mirrored in a strict social organization from within; the Republic was an aristocratic society with strict class separation between nobility, citizens and plebeians. However, slavery and trade in slaves were abolished in 1418. The supreme governing bodies were the Grand Council, which included all noblemen over 18, and the Small Council. The head of state was the Duke, elected for a one-month term in office. After the Republic was seized by Napoleonic forces in 1808, it became part of the Illyrian Provinces of the Napoleonic empire. In 1815 it became part of the Austrian Empire. In 1918, with the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, later transformed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In this period it also changed its official name from Ragusa to Dubrovnik. During World War II, it came under the rule of the collaborationist Croatian Independent State, later Italian and finally German forces, only to be liberated in 1944 by the Resistance movement and in 1945 included, as a part of the Croatian federal republic, into the second Yugoslavia. In 1991 the federal republic became an independent state - the Republic of Croatia.
The breakdown of Yugoslavia would also see a war, in which Dubrovnik was besieged by the Yugoslav army for 7 months and severely bombarded. Now, fifteen years later, the city and lives of its inhabitants have been pretty much restored and Dubrovnik is back to its normal ways. The old city of Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within the city walls, which were built between the 8th and 16th century, are a number of important cultural monuments: Rector’s Palace, Sponza Palace, Onofrio’s Fountain, the Cathedral and Franciscan Monestary, and Orlando’s Column, to name only a few. Modern day Dubrovnik is also bustling with culture and science: there’s a smaller university, the Inter-University Center for advance studies, the Museum of Modern Art, the Summer Festival of theater and classical music and a number of galleries.
However, the increasing orientation towards tourism is mainstreaming the cultural production in the city, leaving two existing independent cultural centers - Art Workshop Lazareti and Orlando - to struggle for all things experimental and socially engaging. The iCommons Summit is planned to take place at two historic locations. The conference part will be based at the fortress Revelin, which was built in the 16th century to protect the city harbour and the eastern, Ploe Gate into the old city. The fortress nowadays serves as the event venue, with over 3500 m2 on 4 floors, with spaces of varying size. The second location will be the old harbour quarantine - Lazareti, built in 1377, and home of the Art Workshop Lazareti cultural center. Lazareti will provide a great concerting and exhibiting venue, immediately overlooking the city beach and old harbour.
The iCommons Summit will be able to make use of the club Orlando, which is based in the city’s old abandoned hospital. Possibilities are aplenty, its up to all of us to make best of it. Start planning: http://wiki.icommons.org/index.php/ISummit_2007.