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The fortress has a quadrilateral court with mighty arches. As the height is uneven, it has 3 terraces with powerful parapets, the broadest looking south towards the sea. Lovrijenac was defended with 10 large cannons, the largest and most famous being “Gušter”(Lizard). It never fired a single shot. It was designed and cast in 1537 by master Ivan of Rab. As it is a dominant fortress whose capture could endanger the city and the Republic, its construction reveals all the wisdom and caution of the administration again. The walls exposed to enemy fire are almost 12 meters thick, but the large wall surface facing the city does not exceed 60 centimeters. The caution of the Republic was not only directed against the foreign enemy, but also against possible munity of the commander of the garrison of the fortress. Therefore the would-be tyrant was permanently exposed to the threat of destruction of the thinnest wall of the fortress. As caution was never sufficient, the commander of the fortress, always elected from the rank of the nobility, was replaced every month. The Republic defended freedom in every possible way. The famous inscription over the entrance to Lovrijenac: NON BENE PRO TOTO LIBERTAS VENDITUR AURO is witness to that. In translation: Freedom is not sold for all the gold in the world.

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Dubrovnik Old Harbour with a great fake sky :o)