ABOUT DUBROVNIK

It would be fair to say that the best and most beautiful classroom is the ancient city itself! The place, which George Bernard Shaw called the paradise on earth! The famous Marco Polo was born on the Island of Korcula, part of the Republic of Dubrovnik. The City has been an independent republic for over 7 centuries. At its peak, the Dubrovnik Republic had diplomatic relations with over 200 states! There is much we can learn from the ancient republic, for example:

  • Governance of the republic, not as a power, rather as public service with a very egalitarian approach to the 'noble' and 'common' people
  • using LIBERTAS (freedom) as the symbol, flag and the anthem of the republic
  • it was the first "state" to make a public statement regarding slavery, and to subsequently abolish it
  • high quality education for all, promoting knowledge about, and respect for, the human condition and human diversity
  • high quality health care and social services (they instituted one of the first quarantines and one of the oldest orphanages in Europe, they have one of the oldest European pharmacies which is still in use, and the like)
  • one of the oldest theaters in Europe (on the Island of Hvar)
  • there was a great understanding of the human condition and great respect for it, with special emphasis on being humble - there are only two public statues in the whole city, one of them 'noble man' (Gundulic) and one of the 'common man' (Pracat)
  • there has been long tradition of 'religious tolerance' and 'joint life'; close to 500 years of organized worship and 'peaceful co-existence' of Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Jewish and Muslim religious institutions and programs

Recent history has much to offer as well, with 50 year old internationally acclaimed summer festival, and the equally well known "ATLAS" travel and tourism agency, which provides together with the I.U.C. and D.I.S.E.C. - and excellent backdrop for the "Back to the Roots" program.
Back / Next