Review article
Spacial and Functional Classifi cation of the Villas of Dubrovnik: a Contribution to Social Evaluation
Deša Karamehmedović
; Sveučilište u Dubrovniku, Dubrovnik, Hrvatska
Abstract
The villas built between the fourteenth and eighteenth century on the territory of the Republic of Dubrovnik are today a part of the unique historical and cultural heritage of Croatia. The fact that they were built by local builders and stonemasons adds further to their cultural and social evaluation. These country houses are mostly located in the greater present-day city area, but also in the outlying area from Konavle to the Pelješac Peninsula. The field research conducted in the period 2009-2014 included 278 villas which for the first time have been classified according to the criteria of spacial distribution and its density, current function, degree of state protection, ownership and architectural (non)-representativeness. The majority (74%) of the villas are located on the former territory of Astarea (of which 43% in Gruž), 11% in Konavle, 8% on the Pelješac Peninsula and 7% in Primorje. The Island of Šipan participates with as much as 14% in the overall number, or one villa per 0.41 km², but also with a fairly high percentage (7%) of villas in a ruinous state. In Croatian terms, the concentration of one villa per 0.21 km² is exceptional for this type of building, and twice exceeds the density of the villas along the Brenta (Veneto region) with one villa per 0.50 km². In terms of the villas’ density in space, the immediate surroundings of Dubrovnik are among the leading in the world. With regard to current function, the majority of the villas are used as residential (46%) or business (23%) facilities, and only 11% are in the service of tourism. The classification according to the degree of state protection shows that the villas of Dubrovnik have not been culturally evaluated, which means that they are unprotected as a whole on either national or local level. As an individual cultural heritage under permanent protection are approximately 40% of the villas. Presently, 10% of the villas are completely devastated, around 32% are ruins, and only 35% are in an architecturally representative state. Three-quarters of the villas are privately owned, though of a tangled ownership status. Because of their limited physical capacity, the villas of Dubrovnik cannot meet the modern three-fold concept developed with similar buildings throughout the world ― residence, business, tourism. In seeking social evaluation, the owners’ benefit in terms of self-sustenance should be taken into consideration. Given that the villas of Dubrovnik still await proper cultural and social evaluation as well as managing programme, the author proposes a number of measures that could contribute to their holistic assessment and protection at the local and national level.
Keywords
Republic of Dubrovnik; villas; spacial distribution and density; current function; state of protection; ownership; architectural representativeness; cultural evaluation; social evaluation
Hrčak ID:
137830
URI
Publication date:
14.4.2015.
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