(Ital. Ragusa), coastal town, S Croatia. A historic and picturesque town on the Dalmatian coast, it is a major tourist resort on the Adriatic Sea. Silk and leather are manufactured in Dubrovnik, and exports include foodstuffs and timber. The town faces the sea at the foot of rugged limestone mountains and is notable for its medieval walls and fortifications. Historical buildings include a rector’s palace, two monasteries, and one of the oldest pharmacies (1317) in Europe. Dubrovnik has harbor facilities in the suburb of Gru[zcaron]. A music and drama festival held here each summer attracts performers and visitors from all over the world.

The town was founded in the 7th century on a site called Ragusium by the Romans. It was under the protection of the Byzantine Empire between 867 and 1205, of Venice until 1358, of Hungary until 1526, and of the Ottoman Empire until 1806, but governed itself as an independent republic. In the 16th century, Dubrovnik had one of the greatest merchant fleets in the Mediterranean, and it remained the chief cultural center for the South Slavs until the 19th century. Napoleon abolished the city-republic of Dubrovnik in 1808, and the Congress of Vienna (1815) gave the town to Austria. By the terms of the Treaty of Rapallo (1920) following World War I, it became part of the newly created country of Yugoslavia. During World War II, Dubrovnik was occupied by the Italians and Germans. It was besieged and shelled in 1991 during the Yugoslav civil war. Pop. (1991) 49,728.