Stradun (Placa)
Stradun (Placa) is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Dubrovnik audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~30 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Dubrovnik Dubrovnik guide
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About Stradun (Placa)
Dubrovnik's gleaming main street runs arrow-straight through the Old Town, its pale limestone polished to a shine by six centuries of footsteps, and hiding a filled-in sea channel beneath.
The Stradun, officially the Placa, is the main street of Dubrovnik's walled Old Town, a limestone promenade running about 300 metres in a straight line from the inner Pile Gate to Luza square. Its two names reflect the city's mixed heritage: Placa derives from a Latin and Greek word for a broad street, while Stradun is a Venetian term meaning, roughly, the big street. Far from being a natural valley, the street was laid over a shallow marshy sea channel that once divided the Roman-descended island settlement of Ragusa from the Slavic settlement of Dubrava on the mainland; the channel was filled in around the 11th or 12th century.
The uniform rows of Baroque houses lining both sides were rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 6 April 1667, under regulations imposing matching facades and heights. The street forms the spine of the UNESCO-listed Old Town, inscribed in 1979.
Did you know? The Stradun's ruler-straight line is not a valley or an old riverbed. It runs over a former sea channel that was filled in around the 11th century, joining two rival settlements into one city.
How long should you spend at Stradun (Placa)?
Plan about ~30 min at Stradun (Placa). That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Stradun (Placa) worth visiting?
Stradun (Placa) is one of the 18 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Dubrovnik, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Dubrovnik
- Franciscan Monastery (Franjevacki samostan)
- Luza Square & Orlando's Column (Orlandov stup)
- Large Onofrio's Fountain (Velika Onofrijeva fontana)
- Sponza Palace (Palaca Sponza)
- Pile Gate
- Church of St Blaise (Crkva svetog Vlaha)
- Rector's Palace (Knežev dvor)
- Dubrovnik Cathedral (Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary)
Day 2 of the Dubrovnik in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Stradun (Placa)
Preview the Dubrovnik tour free in the Gingerguide app.