Original scientific paper
THE STON FORTIFICATION COMPLEX - SEVERAL ISSUES
Andrej Žmegač
; Institut za povijest umjetnosti, Zagreb
Abstract
The fortification complex of Ston lies in Southern Croatia, at the place where the Pelješac Peninsula (60 km long) joins the mainland. The basic function of the fortification was the protection of the peninsula, the isthmus being walled across at the place where it was the narrowest (about I km). Right alongside the isthmus on Pelješac lies an ancient salt pan complex, which once provided great revenues, producing the precious salt. This was the main reason why the Dubrovnik Republic bought the peninsula in 1333. Immediately after it acquired Pelješac, the Ragusans protected it with the construction of a wall from one bay to another, across Podzvizd Hill. At the same time as the construction of the wall, at each end of it, by the coast, a settlement was constructed: Ston at the south, and Mali [Little] Ston at the north. These were planned settlements, built on the protected side of the walls. The original residential structure consisted of three rows of five blocks of houses in Ston, and three rows of housing in Mali Ston. Almost from the beginning, Mali Ston was walled on the other side too, and at the southern end Koruna Fort was set up. Ston was much later (early 15th century) surrounded by city walls, which girt it from the south and the west; where the wall once again went up the hill and on its northern slopes it was linked with the older, main wall. In the 15th and at the beginning of the 16th century, the fortification walls, especially around the city of Ston, were brought up to date with Renaissance additions. Among these is the wall above Ston , and the bulwarks along the western and southern stretches of the city walls. Soon after its founding Mali Ston obtained complete walls; thus any space for its expansion was circumscribed. Judging all in all, the assignment of this town was to be able to take over as fast as possible its practical function of being a strong ending to the wall and a secure port for the export of salt. As against this, Ston for several decades did not get walls from all sides, which meant it was deprived of the attributes of a real town. This is very strange, because Ston, in comparison with Mali Ston, was much more ambitiously conceived; the construction of the housing units is much more regular, and it was more prestigious too in terms of the religions and administrative functions it combined. The lack of complete city walls for settlement that was so economically and strategically important can be seen as a utopian component in the project. When the fortifications were at last nevertheless constructed and the area of the town was thus defined, it turned out- as with so many planned cities- that the desired level of development and population was not completely realised.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
110125
URI
Publication date:
8.8.2005.
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