Cavtat

Cavtat
View of Cavtat
Cavtat
The location of Konavle within Croatia
Coordinates: 42°34′N 18°13′E / 42.567°N 18.217°E / 42.567; 18.217
Country  Croatia
County Dubrovnik-Neretva County
Municipality Konavle
Elevation 1 m (3 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 2,143
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code HR-20 210
Area code(s) +385 20
Licence plate DU

Cavtat (Croatian pronunciation: [t͡sǎʋtat],[1] Italian: Ragusa Vecchia, lit. 'Old Ragusa') is a town in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. It is on the Adriatic Sea coast 15 kilometres (9 miles) south of Dubrovnik and is the centre of the Konavle municipality.

History

Cavtat village and harbor

Antiquity

The original city was founded by the Greeks in the 6th century BC under the name of Epidaurus (or Epidauros, Greek: Επίδαυρος).[2][3] 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]

Middle Ages

The town was re-established in the Middle Ages (Italian: 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.

Economy

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 and yachts along the strand.

Culture

Račić family mausoleum

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

The Epidaurus Festival of Music[10] has been held annually in Cavtat since 2007.

Notable people

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Cavtat is twinned with:

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Cavtat pronunciation: How to pronounce Cavtat in Croatian (Hrvatski)". 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
  10. ↑ "Cavtat - 2012". Epidaurus festival. 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  11. ↑ "Watsonville forms ties with Croatian city". Register-Pajaronian. Retrieved 2018-09-20.

Coordinates: 42°34′46″N 18°13′15″E / 42.57944°N 18.22083°E / 42.57944; 18.22083

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.