Lokrum, Dubrovnik

Lokrum is an Adriatic island set just offshore from Dubrovnik, with ferries reaching it from the Old City port. Its wooded landscape hides a remarkable succession of lives: a Benedictine monastery founded in 1023, Maximilian’s former retreat, and a fortress built during the French occupation. The monastery’s surviving buildings now include a museum and a restaurant, while the island also holds a replica of the Iron Throne.

Follow the paths toward the botanical garden, where native growth stands alongside plants brought from tropical and subtropical regions. The garden began in 1959, and peacocks introduced by Maximilian still inhabit the island. In the southern part, the saltwater lake called the Dead Sea reaches a depth of 10 metres; caves and fractures beneath it connect with the surrounding sea.

At the island’s summit, Fort Royal occupies the site’s strongest high ground. French forces began building it in 1806, and Austria completed it in 1835. As local legend has it, expelled Benedictine monks once traced a candle-wax curse around Lokrum. The story adds a dark note to a place whose most enduring reality is more tangible: monastery ruins, botanical collections, and a fortress gathered within a small island landscape.