The renovated complex of Dubrovnik Lazarets has opened its doors
As part of the final conference of the project “Lazareti – the creative district of Dubrovnik”, on Sunday, July 28, the grand opening of the renovated historic complex Lazareti was organized. Now, after a thorough renovation, Lazareti has received a new life cycle through the valorization of cultural heritage as a place of cultural and tourist facilities. Mihaela Skurić, director of the Institute for Reconstruction of Dubrovnik, the main partner in the project, emphasized that this is the first project of the City of Dubrovnik in which funds from European funds are invested in the restoration of cultural heritage and giving new function and purpose, ie life to heritage. local communities. The Lazareta complex, located right next to the city walls in Ploče, the eastern entrance to the historic center, in the past served as a quarantine (French quarantine: forty days), an international anti-infective measure that separates and controls people, goods and means of transport (ships) they are suspected to come from infected areas. In Dubrovnik, as early as 1377, the Grand Council issued a provision according to which newcomers from plague areas had to spend a month in certain supervised locations before they were allowed to enter the city. Although there have been several quarantines in Dubrovnik throughout history, Lazareti (whose construction was completed in 1647) was the largest commercial transit center on the Adriatic and one of the best organized quarantines in the Mediterranean in the 17th century. In the past, the eastern suburb of Ploče was a meeting place for trade caravans and travelers from the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, as early as 1377, the first quarantine for the isolation of passengers and goods from eastern countries was built in Ploče, because epidemics of infectious diseases often prevailed. The infirmaries, with 8 preserved buildings and 5 courtyards, were renovated in 1623 from the sea side so that larger ships could approach. They had spacious warehouses for goods and livestock, and rooms for longer stays of merchants and travelers in isolation. In the 17th century, Dubrovnik’s Lazareti was the largest commercial transit center on the Adriatic and one of the best organized quarantines in the Mediterranean. The project is worth HRK 33,8 million, of which as much as HRK 25,9 million was provided from European Union grants through the European Regional Development Fund. HRK 21.078 was spent on the renovation of three previously unrestored ships, while other funds were intended for equipping seven ships that have already been renovated, as well as for developing and designing cultural programs and facilities. As the future cultural center of Dubrovnik, Lazareti fully fit into the vision of sustainable destination management and through the valorization of cultural heritage sites and the expansion of cultural and tourist facilities is expected to make a major contribution to sustainable development at the local and regional level. In addition to the City of Dubrovnik, ten other partners participated in the project – the Institute for the Reconstruction of Dubrovnik, DURA, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, the Linđo Folklore Ensemble, the Lazareti ART Workshop, the Lero Student Theater, the DEŠA Association, the DEŠA Social Enterprise and the Dart Association, and Art Sebastian Design. “The opening of the Lazaret is seemingly a small step for our city, but it is extremely important and full of symbolism. It is the year 2019 of culture, when we celebrate many anniversaries and we can finally say – Lazareti are over. We know how and in what way to take care of our historical heritage, we have EU funds at our disposal and we have just shown that we know how to use them, that we know how to manage EU money and invest it in what is important, and that is caring for our heritage. It is up to us to move on”, Said Mayor Mato Franković at the opening of the Lazaret. Source / photo: City of Dubrovnik