Fort Lovrijenac
Fort Lovrijenac features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Dubrovnik. Give it roughly ~45 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type castle
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Dubrovnik Dubrovnik guide
About Fort Lovrijenac
Dubrovnik's Gibraltar: a triangular fortress on a sheer sea-cliff outside the walls, its seaward face twelve metres thick, its city-facing wall barely sixty centimetres, and a famous Game of Thrones Red Keep.
Fort Lovrijenac (Tvrđava Lovrijenac), or St Lawrence Fortress, stands on a sheer rock about 37 metres above the sea just west of Dubrovnik's Old Town, outside the main walls. It guarded the western, Pile-side approach by both land and sea, earning the nickname 'Dubrovnik's Gibraltar'. Its outward-facing walls are up to about 12 metres thick, while the wall facing the city is deliberately only around 60 centimetres, so that a fort seized by an enemy could be bombarded and retaken from the town. Over the entrance is the inscription 'Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro', freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world.
A popular story that the fort was built in three months in the early 11th century is legend; the first firm record dates to 1301, and the present structure is largely later. Today it is a celebrated open-air stage of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, famous for Hamlet, and appeared in Game of Thrones as the Red Keep.
Did you know? The fort's walls face two ways at once: up to twelve metres thick toward the sea and enemies, but only about sixty centimetres toward the city, so Dubrovnik could blast it back if it ever fell.
How long is a visit to Fort Lovrijenac?
Set aside roughly ~45 min for Fort Lovrijenac. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Fort Lovrijenac worth your time?
Fort Lovrijenac is among the 18 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Dubrovnik, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Dubrovnik
Day 1 of the Dubrovnik in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Fort Lovrijenac
Preview the Dubrovnik tour free in the Gingerguide app.