The Island of Lokrum & Arboretum Trsteno
Special Reserve of Forest Vegetation under the protection of UNESCO
This romantic island (0.8 km2 spot. Lokrum is the biggest park in Dubrovnik, with its beautiful gardens and evergreen vegetation, green oases, which reveal summer tranquillity, beautiful bays and bathing places, shaded walking paths, and magnificent promenades.
The island can be reached from the Old Town port by boat in 10-15 minutes (680 m).
Highlights:
This mystical island with a rich cultural heritage has a lot of centuries-old legends and stories waiting to be told. Today it is a Nature Reserve under the protection of the UNESCO, with a long tradition in gardening cultivation and about 400 rare and protected species of higher plants.
In 1023 the Benedictines built a monastery and a church, laid out gardens and planted olive trees and vineyards.
The legend states, that in 1192, Richard the Lionheart, upon returning from his crusades, was shipwrecked onto the island. During his time on the island he vowed to build a church here and dedicate it to the Holy Virgin.
Lokrum was acquired by (Archduke) Ferdinand Maximilian of Habsburg, who was impressed by the beauty of the nature and the unique peaceful ambience. He had part of the monastery pulled down and built a summer residence with a tower shaped castle in the neo-gothic style. He also turned the biggest part of the island into unique gardens of exotic plants and olive trees, with many paths and viewpoints. On Lokrum he spent the most beautiful moments of his short life with his wife Charlotte of Belgium.
Discovery path
You can take a pleasant walk on the paths between cypress trees along the central part of the unique system of three tree-lined walks, called “The Path of Paradise”. It was built during the time of Maximilian of Habsburg and it leads you through a botanical garden, which was founded in 1959 on 5 acres. Today it features some 800 plant species. There is also the olive grove with some of the trees, which are more than 300 years old. The oldest path is the one from the bay of Porto? to the monastery complex. It has existed since the founding of the Benedictine abbey in 11th century.
Furthermore, it leads you past the monastery complex, with a cloister garden from the 15th /16th century and remains of the basilica in the 12th /13th century, the church of Annunciation, the summer residence of Maximilian of Habsburg with gardens and parks, Aleppo pine forest, Charlotte’s Well, which is a beautiful oval stone pool, and finally to a view from the highest peak of the island (249 feet).The fortress “Fort Royal”, built in the shape of a star by the French in 1806, today gives an unforgettable view over Dubrovnik and the whole Riviera with its wonderful islands.
On the island you can find a small salt lake called “Dead Sea”, which is connected to the open sea. This is a paradise for small children and non-swimmers.
Today on Lokrum you can also find a Biological Institute, a Natural Science Museum and the Memorial Museum of Ru?er Boškovi?, all of which are definitely worth visiting.
Arboretum - Trsteno
This is one of the most beautiful places within the Dubrovnik region with protected architectural monuments, the oldest renaissance park from 1502 which has the most unique tree nursery along the cost of Dubrovnik and is one of the oldest in Europe. As well as being known for its tree nursery, Trsteno is also known for its renaissance summerhouse which was owned by the Gu?eti? family, in which many writers, poets and artists met. St. Veit church is located above the park in a village called Trsteno, also known for its abundance of natural spring water and the 196 feet high and 600 years old Asian plantations. We will walk through the arcadian garden and past the summerhouse, where once the most beautiful woman of the European renaissance, Cvijeta Zuzoric wrote her love poems along the breathtaking gardens and under the treetops of unique woodtrees. See her reflection in the baroque fountain, observe the sculptures of Neptun and the nymphs from 1736 and enjoy the unique view over the Elafiti Islands. This tree nursery is the most beautiful example for garden architecture of all summer residences in Dubrovnik.
Throughout the centuries many known personalities, like the Austrian emperor Franz I., the mexican emperor Maximilian, the Rumanian queen Maria von Hohenzollern and many others visited the tree nursery.
Duration:
- 6 hours (approx.)
