Cavtat

Cavtat
Ragusavecchia
View of Cavtat from a hill above the town
Cavtat
Ragusavecchia
The location of Konavle within Croatia
Coordinates:
Country Croatia
County Dubrovnik-Neretva County
Municipality Konavle
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 2,015
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 20 000
Area code(s) 020
Licence plate DU

Cavtat (Italian: Ragusavecchia, Greek: Επίδαυρος (Epidauros), pronounced [t͡sǎʋtat]) [1] is a town in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. It is on the Adriatic seacoast 15 km south of Dubrovnik and is the centre of the Konavle municipality.

Contents

History

Cavtat is a Croatian city with a long history. The original city was founded by the Greeks in the 6th century BC under the name of Epidaurus (or Epidauros).[2][3] Its original name is similar to the city in Peloponnese which had the god Asclepius as its protector. The surrounding area was inhabited by the Illyrians, who called the city Zaptal.[4]

The town changed its name to Epidaurum when it came under Roman rule in 228 BC. Justinian I the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire sent his fleet to Cavtat during the Gothic War (535–554)[5] and occupied the town.

The city was sacked and destroyed by the Avars and Slavs in the 7th century.[6] Refugees from Epidaurum fled to the nearby island, Laus (Ragusa) which over time evolved into the city of Dubrovnik.[7]

The town was re-established in the Middle Ages (Ragusa-Vecchia).[8][9] After a short while it came under the control of its powerful neighbor, the Republic of Ragusa.

The modern Croatian name for the city reveals its ancient origins and its link with Dubrovnik. Cavtat is derived from Civitas Vetus, that means old city in Latin Language.

Today, Cavtat is a popular tourist destination with many hotels and private households that rent rooms and apartments. The seafront is filled with shops and restaurants. A ferry boat connects the town to neighbouring Mlini and Dubrovnik. There are often many private luxury ships along the strand.

The town cemetery contains a mausoleum belonging to the Račić family and decorated by the sculptor Ivan Meštrović.

Notable people

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy

Twin towns — Sister cities

Cavtat is twinned with:

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ "Cavtat pronunciation: How to pronounce Cavtat in Croatian (Hrvatski)". http://forvo.com/word/cavtat/. Retrieved 2009-09-18. 
  2. ^ Aulus Hirtius, De Bello Alexandrino XIV
  3. ^ Austria: Her People & Their Homelands by James Baker,""... dates back to the sixth century BC., when the Greeks founded here Epidaurus"
  4. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography: Abacaenum-Hytanis. 1854 by Sir William Smith
  5. ^ Ostrogoths were at war with Byzantine Empire in the 6th century.
  6. ^ Researches on the Danube and the Adriatic by Andrew Archibald Paton (1861). Contributions to the Modern History of Hungary and Transylvania, Dalmatia and Croatia, Servia and Bulgaria- page 247
  7. ^ Dalmatia and Montenegro by Sir John Gardner Wilkinson
  8. ^ Notizie Istorico-Critiche Sulla Antichita, Storia, e Letteratura de' Ragusei (published in two vols) by Francesco Maria Appendini.
  9. ^ The Biographical Dictionary of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge Volume 3, Part 1. 1843. Great Britain

External links