Gradski zvonik, Dubrovnik

Gradski zvonik is Dubrovnik’s bell tower, rising from Luža Square where Stradun ends. The tower measures 31 metres, and the structure you see dates from 1929, when it was rebuilt to match the earlier design. Its hour bell was cast in 1506 by Ivan Rabljanin.

The paired figures that strike it are Maro and Baro, known as the Zelenci because their surfaces have acquired a green patina. The figures here are replicas installed in 1929; the originals, made around 1478, are displayed in the Cultural History Museum inside the Rector’s Palace. Damage from the 1667 earthquake was followed by a dangerous lean toward Stradun, leading to demolition in 1928 before the rebuilding. The tower later underwent restoration after the 1979 Montenegro earthquake.