Revelin, Dubrovnik

Revelin is the massive fortress beside Dubrovnik’s landward walls, separated from them by a deep moat and reached by a bridge. Its purpose was to protect the city from Ottoman attacks. The fortress took its lasting form from Antonio Ferramolino of Bergamo: his design was approved in 1538, construction began the following year, and the work ended in 1551.

After the earthquake of 1667, Revelin became the administrative headquarters of the Dubrovnik Republic, while the state treasury and the cathedral treasury were moved inside. Archaeological work between 1983 and 1986 uncovered remains from before the fortress, including the furnace of Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin, a skilled maker of bells and cannon. Today, performances take place on the terrace, and concerts fill its interior.