Sponza Palace

The Sponza Palace

The Dubrovnik audio-guided tour presents you with the Sponza Palace, on Luža Square, one of the rare buildings to have resisted the 1667 earthquake.

A Venetian Gothic jewel

Recognisable by its arcade gallery, the Sponza Palace was built between 1516 and 1522. This Venetian Gothic-style jewel served as the seat of the customs, then as a warehouse, before housing the workshops of the Mint of the Republic of Ragusa. In the nineteenth century, it lost its administrative functions; it today hosts temporary exhibitions, concerts and cultural events, as well as the very old archives of the city, which allowed the French historian Fernand Braudel to write his work on the Mediterranean. Right next to it, the Clock Tower draws the eye with its two bronze statues, nicknamed Maro and Baro, which strike the bell since the fifteenth century to mark the hours.

What there is to see

The Sponza Palace charms with its arcade gallery and its Venetian Gothic architecture, a rare witness of before the 1667 earthquake. It hosts exhibitions and concerts, and preserves precious archives. Right nearby, the Clock Tower and its statues Maro and Baro complete this fine ensemble of Luža Square, to be discovered in the heart of the old town.

Practical information

The Sponza Palace is on Luža Square, in the heart of the old town of Dubrovnik. Its façade and its gallery can be contemplated freely; the exhibitions and the archives can be visited according to hours to be checked on site, the interior access possibly being subject to a charge.

Why is the Sponza Palace remarkable?

It is one of the rare buildings of Dubrovnik to have resisted the 1667 earthquake, in a fine Venetian Gothic style.

Who are Maro and Baro?

Two bronze statues of the neighbouring Clock Tower, which strike the bell since the fifteenth century to mark the hours.