Dubrovnik, Croatia:

Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea, in the region of Dalmatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Its total population is 42,615.In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.The prosperity of the city of Dubrovnik was historically based on maritime trade. As the capital of the Republic of Ragusa, a maritime republic, the city achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. Dubrovnik became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy.The beginning of tourism in Dubrovnik is often associated with the construction of the late 19th-century luxury hotels in Croatia, such as Grand Hotel in Opatija and the Hotel Imperial in Dubrovnik.According to CNNGo, Dubrovnik is among the 10 best medieval walled cities in the world.Although Dubrovnik was demilitarised in the 1970s to protect it from war, in 1991, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was besieged by Serb-Montenegrin forces for seven months and received significant shelling damage.The historical Latin and Dalmatian name of Dubrovnik is Ragusa, or Ragusium in older form. Ragusa is also the name in Italian, shared with another Ragusa in Sicily. The historical name in Greek is Raugia or Ragousa.The current name was officially adopted in 1918 after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but was in use from the Middle Ages. It is also referred to as Dubrovnik in the first official document of the treaty with the Ban of Bosnia Ban Kulin in 1189.Historical lore indicates that Dubrovnik was founded in the 7th century on a rocky island named Laus, which is said to have provided shelter for refugees from the nearby city of Epidaurum.Another theory appeared recently,based on new archaeological excavations.New findings contradict the traditional theory. The size of the old basilica clearly indicates that there was quite a large settlement at the time.There is also increasing support in the scientific community for the theory that major construction of Dubrovnik took place before the Common Era. This "Greek theory" has been boosted by recent findings of numerous Greek artifacts during excavations in the Port of Dubrovnik. Also, drilling below the main city road has revealed natural sand, contradicting the theory of Laus island.Dr Antun Ničetić, in his book Povijest dubrovačke luke, expounds the theory that Dubrovnik was established by Greek sailors. A key element in this theory is the fact that ships in ancient times travelled about 45–50 nautical miles per day, and required a sandy shore to pull out of water for the rest period during the night. The ideal rest site would have fresh water source in its vicinity. Dubrovnik has both, and is situated almost halfway between the two known Greek settlements of Budva and Korčula, 95 nautical miles apart from each other.

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