Croatia: City Walls (Drustvo Prijatelja Dub Starine) (August 2016)


We decided to walk the city walls. Although Tom recommended that we wait until about 6:00 pm to walk the city walls due to heat and crowds, we did not heed his advice, instead climbing after lunch. We purchased our tickets at the counter in the tourist information center near the fountain inside the Pile Gate, and we were able to use a credit card. Although it was the hottest part of the day, a nice breeze prevented us from becoming overheated. In addition, we were thrilled to discover that the walls are wide enough to accommodate two different locations of Bistro Salvatore, each of which also offers bathroom facilities. In addition, a few ice cream shops, an art gallery, and a souvenir stand are atop the walls, although most of these amenities are located on the part of the wall that fronts the Aegean Sea.

The city walls that completely encircle Old Town date back in parts to the 13th century. The wall is 1.25-miles long and takes about one hour to walk – longer in our case because we repeatedly stopped for yet another brilliant photo op. The walls include 16 small and large towers; among the largest is Sveti Ivan (built near the Old Town harbor), Bokar (at the Pile Gate, with its bridge and moat), and Minceta (on the western sea). The walls are 82 feet high and up to 10 feet thick in places. The walls incorporate the four city gates (Ploce, Pile, Peskarija, Ponta) that allow access to the city. 









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