The Lazarettos

In the past, the Ploče district was a stopover for many merchants and travellers passing through Dubrovnik. To protect the city and its inhabitants from epidemics brought in from elsewhere, a quarantine system was established in the 14th century. At first, the sick or those suspected of illness were sent to nearby islands, such as Lokrum or Mrkan, to serve their quarantine. Over the centuries, temporary buildings and inspection points were set up near the city gates and the port. It was only in the early 17th century, with the growth of trade and the rising threat of epidemics, that the Republic of Ragusa built the Lazareti we see today in Ploče — a permanent, solid, and well-organised complex designed to hold travellers, crews, and goods in isolation. Built entirely of stone and lined up side by side to your left, the Lazareti are ten vast storehouses where transit passengers and their caravans, often from Eastern countries, were once confined. In the 17th century, it became the largest commercial transit hub and one of the best-organised quarantine sites in the Mediterranean. Today, the Lazareti host a wide range of leisure, shopping, and entertainment activities.