The Art of Preserving Heritage
Founded in 1952, the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities has, for more than seven decades, served as a pillar of cultural preservation and civic responsibility in southern Croatia. Long before the establishment of official heritage institutions in Dubrovnik, the Society—an independent, non-governmental, and non-profit organisation—had already begun restoring and protecting the city’s architectural and historical treasures.
Membership in the Society is open to all individuals—both Croatian nationals and foreign citizens—who agree to abide by the Society’s statute and regulations. All work carried out for the Society is on a voluntary basis and is not subject to financial compensation.
The visionary and key initiator behind its founding was Lukša Beritić, a naval engineer, researcher, and heritage enthusiast whose insight and integrity helped the Society earn public trust and institutional support. Beritić believed that cultural preservation should not be the sole responsibility of government institutions, but a shared duty of all individuals with a sense of cultural belonging. Guided by this conviction, he helped shape the Society’s mission: to raise public awareness about the value of historical monuments and to encourage citizens to take an active role in their preservation through volunteer work and collective civic engagement.
In line with its mission, the Society embraced a self-sustaining approach based on the idea that monuments should finance their own restoration. The guiding motto “from the monuments, for the monuments” captured this principle: revenue from visits to cultural landmarks would be reinvested into ongoing conservation. To this day, this model has remained a defining characteristic of the Society’s work, ensuring its independence, transparency, and lasting impact.
The Society dedicated its first years of activity to the organisation of the sightseeing of the Dubrovnik City Walls that were completely neglected over the centuries-long lack of maintenance. The extensive scope of work required comprehensive structural rehabilitation of many stone elements, marking the beginning of a long-term commitment to preserving this invaluable cultural heritage. The long list of works included many capital projects such as the restitution of the Revelin Fortress, the complicated removal of the so-called Russian House next to it, the renewal of the buildings and the Church of the Rozario Fraternity and the staircase to the Dominican Monastery, the restitution of the city bridges, the renewal of the Small and the restoration of the Big Onofrio fountain and many more.
Walls of Ston
As the years passed, the Society expanded its scope of work beyond Dubrovnik to the broader territory of the former Republic of Ragusa, including Konavle, Ston, Pelješac, the Elafiti Islands, Lastovo, Cavtat, and Primorje. The Walls of Ston—one of the longest-preserved fortification systems in Europe—became a major focus, with extensive restorations carried out on its fortresses and towers. These were not isolated projects but part of a coherent and sustained effort to preserve a cultural landscape that extends far beyond the City’s Walls.
The Society has always encouraged and supported publishing and publications about Dubrovnik-related topics. Its members were often authors of numerous publications, and it has also supported publications by other authors, aimed at spreading knowledge about history, culture and cultural heritage monuments. It has published numerous brochures, guides, collections of papers and catalogues.
In 1991 and 1992 during the war devastation, around two thousand projectiles of different calibres fell on Dubrovnik historic core, causing significant damage to public, private and sacred buildings, streets, squares, roofs and city walls.
Out of a total of 824 buildings in the historic core, with a total surface of around 193,000 m2, as many as 594 were damaged. Hit by over 150 projectiles of different calibres, not even the city walls were spared from destruction. They were significantly damaged in around eighty places from direct hits or shrapnel that caused minor or more severe damage to the stone surfaces.
Lovrjenac Fortress
The Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities was left without income during the war, since the city walls closed down on 1 October 1991 and remained closed the following year. It survived solely on donations from the citizens and institutions from Croatia and abroad. The funds were donated for specific purposes, for repair and rehabilitation of damaged monuments and to ensure the functioning of the Society.
Over the decades, the Society’s work has garnered significant recognition both in Croatia and abroad. The City Walls of Dubrovnik, restored and maintained under its stewardship, are today considered one of the best-preserved and best-researched fortification systems in Europe. In 1979, the Old City of Dubrovnik was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, a milestone that owes much to the groundwork laid by the Society’s tireless efforts. In 2024, it was awarded the prestigious Europa Nostra “Heritage Champions” Award, recognising more than seventy years of outstanding civic engagement and professional excellence. Despite economic shifts, political changes, wars, and natural disasters, the Society has remained the single largest investor in the protection of heritage in the Dubrovnik region—consistently adapting to new challenges while holding firm to its founding principles.
Today, millions of visitors admire Dubrovnik’s monuments—its walls, fountains, palaces, and churches—often unaware of the quiet, decades-long work behind their survival. These structures are not merely preserved relics; they are part of a living heritage, maintained by a community that understands their value. The Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities stands as a testament to what can be achieved when civic pride, historical awareness, and volunteerism come together in the service of culture. It is not only a guardian of the past, but also a builder of the future—one that protects, educates, and inspires. In a world where cultural landmarks are increasingly threatened by neglect, over-tourism, or short-term interests, the Society offers a sustainable and honourable model of how heritage can and should be preserved: not by force, but through care, knowledge, and shared responsibility.