Large Onofrio's Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana)
Large Onofrio's Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Dubrovnik. Give it roughly ~15 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 monument
- Suggested visit ~15 min
- Dubrovnik Dubrovnik guide
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About Large Onofrio's Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana)
A great domed fountain with sixteen carved masks greets you just inside the Pile Gate, the grand outlet of a 15th-century aqueduct that still runs cold today.
The Large Onofrio's Fountain stands just inside the Pile Gate at the western end of the Stradun. Built around 1438-1440, it is a domed, sixteen-sided stone cistern that served as the public terminus of Dubrovnik's water supply. It was designed by Onofrio di Giordano della Cava, a builder and engineer from the Kingdom of Naples, who also constructed the aqueduct that feeds it, commonly cited as about 12 kilometres long, drawing spring water from the Rijeka Dubrovacka area. Sixteen carved stone mascarons ring the base, each spouting water into a surrounding channel.
The fountain was originally far more ornate, with a sculpted upper tier attributed to Pietro di Martino da Milano, but that decoration was largely destroyed in the 1667 earthquake, leaving today's plainer form. Water still flows, though it is no longer treated for drinking. A smaller companion fountain stands at the Stradun's opposite end.
Did you know? The fountain looks austere today, but that is damage, not design. An ornate carved upper tier once crowned it, shaken to pieces by the great earthquake of 1667.
How long is a visit to Large Onofrio's Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana)?
Set aside roughly ~15 min for Large Onofrio's Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Large Onofrio's Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana) worth your time?
Large Onofrio's Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana) 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
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Hear the story of Large Onofrio's Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana)
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