The Large Onofrios Fountain

The Great Onofrio Fountain

The Dubrovnik audio-guided tour presents you with the Great Onofrio Fountain, a veritable symbol of the city, located not far from the entrance to the old town.

A hydraulic feat of the fifteenth century

Despite a flourishing economy carried by one of the most active ports of the Mediterranean in the fifteenth century, Dubrovnik lacked drinking water. To remedy this, the Neapolitan architect Onofrio della Cava was charged with building this fountain in 1438. Connected to a network of aqueducts of fourteen kilometres, it brought spring water from Mount Srđ into the city. Polygonal in shape with sixteen faces, in an Italian Renaissance style, the fountain astonishes by its scale. Its dome, destroyed during the 1667 earthquake and never rebuilt identically, gave it even more monumentality. It remains today a meeting point and a refreshing source in the heart of the city.

What there is to see

The Great Onofrio Fountain charms with its polygonal shape, its sixteen ornate faces and its scale, right at the entrance of the old town. Still supplied with drinking water, it remains an appreciated meeting point, where one drinks and gathers. It is a symbol of the hydraulic genius of Dubrovnik and an essential refreshing stop.

Practical information

The Great Onofrio Fountain is near the Pile Gate, at the entrance of the old town of Dubrovnik. It can be contemplated freely at all hours and on the level; its water remains drinkable.

Why was the Onofrio fountain built?

To supply Dubrovnik with drinking water; built in 1438, it is connected to an aqueduct of fourteen kilometres coming from Mount Srđ.

Why does the fountain no longer have its dome?

Its dome was destroyed during the 1667 earthquake and was never rebuilt identically.