The Great Regatta

Chapter Eight

They entered the harbor enclosed by walls and ramparts, quaint red-roofed houses seen from behind the walls, an entrance to a large street seen right in front of them, a bell tower on its right. Ships and boats crowded the harbor, and a large semicircular stronghold was guarding the harbor on a mole to the left.

'This must be St. John's Fortress,' Blaise said. 'It was begun in the 14^th century when the first tower was built, and then parts were added to it in the next decades, and in the 16^th century it gained its present semicircular form. Now it houses the Maritime Museum and the Aquarium. And that, I think, is the City Bell Tower next to the Headquarters of the City Guards, at the beginning of the Stradun, the main street of Dubrovnik.'

'Great!' Justin said. 'Let's go see it.'

'Yes, only we need to change,' Blaise said.

Justin nodded.

They went to their cabins. Some time later they came ashore in Muggle clothes, the Hon. Evelyn now in a silvery suit, his walking stick in his hand and Miranda over his other hand. They went along a wall, the ships and boats on their right.

'The walls of these fortifications were built according to a ground plan traced in the 13^th century, and the shape of the towers, bulwarks, bastions and embrasures was defined during the golden era of Dubrovnik, between the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the great earthquake of 1667,' Blaise told. 'These walls are some of the most impressive and beautiful fortifications in Europe, and they defended the freedom of Dubrovnik well, as not much fighting was done from them.'

They passed the gate in the wall that led from the harbor to the great street. They saw that the street was full of people and lined by stone houses, sedate and almost modest, but beautiful and dignified in their simplicity,

'This street was built after the earthquake of 1667,' Blaise said. 'All the houses on the street were built according to the projects sanctioned by the Senate of the Dubrovnik Republic, and that's why all of them have almost identical facades, same height and very similar inner layout.'

The bell tower was now right before them, and on its façade there was a beautiful clock.

'The admiral's son Luka Minochin made the metal tablet for the face of the clock and the two hands beneath it, indicating the phases of the moon, and the two wooden figures that chime the hours. The great local craftsman, Ivan rabljanin, who cast the guns for the Dubrovnik fortresses, cast a new bell for the tower in 1506. The tower itself was built in 1444, and it is 33 yards high,' Blaise said. 'The wooden figures were replaced by bronze ones since then, and they are the famous 'green men' symbolizing the passage of time.'

'It's beautiful,' Justin said.

'Now let's go along the Stradun and see the other beauties of Dubrovnik?' Blaise suggested.

'Sure,' Justin said.

They wandered from the Stradun into a maze of narrow winding streets and little squares with Renaissance houses, many squares with fountains in the middle. Then they came to a little beautiful palace with a row of ornate semicircular arches for a porch, Gothic windows in the second floor and arched windows in the first, little square windows in the basement, and smooth walls.

'This is Rector's Palace, the Rector was the ruler of Dubrovnik,' Blaise said. 'The Rector lived here during his one month's mandate, alone, without his family. He was not allowed to leave the Palace unless on some state business. The Rector's Palace was also the seat of the Small Council, that was the government of Dubrovnik. There were also halls for official receptions and audiences, and the seat for the Republic's administration: the secretary, the public notary, the land registry...The Dubrovnik chronicles say there was a small castle in the place of the present building, but it was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion in 1435. Then the Dubrovnik government engaged the Neapolitan architect Onofrio di Giordano de la Cava, the same who built a lot of fountains in Dubrovnik, to build a new palace. In the middle of the 15^th century he completed the building, but the palace was then damaged by another gunpowder explosion in 1463. It was then reconstructed by the Florentine architect Salvi di Michele, helped by numerous native architects.'

'There were a lot of cataclysms in this place.' Justin observed.

'So they were,' Blaise agreed.

They wandered the streets of Dubrovnik more.

'This place is a maze!' Justin said.

'Yes.' Blaise smiled. 'A real ancient town. The Stradun is the only straight street in Dubrovnik.'

They then came to a small square that had in the middle a tetrahedral Gothic column with a square platform on top and a statue of a knight with a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left.

'This is the Orlando column,' Blaise said. 'In the times of the Republic, it carried the state flag of Dubrovnik, a white standard with the letters S. B., standing for Sanctus Blasius, the patron saint of the city and also mine.'

'What a coincidence!' Justin said.

'Yes. And that is why I feel a special affection for this city.' Blaise smiled. 'As for the column itself, it is an effigy of the legendary Roland. The story of Roland reached Dubrovnik through Italy, but the popular mind connected it with the defeat of a Saracen corsair near the island of Lokrum. They say that there was a first Orlando column, near the Church of Saint Blaise at the Pile Gate, but this is most likely a legend, as no description of old Dubrovnik mentions it. This column is first mentioned towards the end of the 14^th century. The figure of Orlando itself is associated with the Dubrovnik trade - the length of the lower part of Orlando's right arm was a Dubrovnik measure equaling 51, 2 centimeters. As far as we know, the column was given its present look in 1419, although until the 19^th century it was periodically turned around and moved. In 1825 Orlando was blown over by a strong wind and spent the next half century in storage. When they put him up again, they turned his face to the north, as the Turks were no longer a menace and there was no reason for him to face east. But it is strange that he got into Dubrovnik in the first place; his statues are most common in the German cities. The answer is, in the 15^th century Dubrovnik was under the protection of Sigismund, the Hungarian and Czech king and later German Emperor. At the same time Sigismund was the count of the Brandenburg Province which was flooded by the statues of Roland. So this Orlando was placed here to honor the great Emperor and protector who even visited Dubrovnik once. Nowadays the column is used to hoist the flag of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, a white flag bearing the word 'libertas'.

'Very interesting,' Justin said.

Just then, a handsome blonde man came up to them and cried, 'Blaise!'

'Dalibór!' Blaise answered, and they embraced.

'What, you have a friend among the natives, Blay?' Justin asked.

'Dalibor's not a native; he is from Bratislava,' Blaise said. 'We met in Prague. He's an antiquary. Dalibor Janota. Here are Justin Finch-Fletchley, Trevor Entwhistle and the Honorable Evelyn Ravenscroft.'

'I'm holidaying here.' Dalibor explained.

'And we are here with the regatta,' Blaise said.

'The regatta!' Dalibor exclaimed. 'You are in the crew?'

'I'm the first mate,' Blaise said.

'You always were one for adventures, were you, Blaise?' Dalibor asked.

'Yes.' Blaise smiled.

'Let's go to a pub and have something then!' Dalibor said.

They found one and took a table. Suddenly one of Dalibor's coat pockets stirred, and a long whiskered muzzle appeared. Then the owner of the muzzle jumped onto the table - a small mouse-like animal with long shining black coat and little bright eyes.

'A Niffler!' Blaise said.

'That's right.' Dalibor smiled. 'His name is Nosey.'

'Nifflers can wreak havoc on a house in their curiosity, you know that?' Blaise asked.

'I like it.' Dalibor smiled. 'He's just like me.'

'Well, you know better,' Blaise said.

'As there is no other cat like your Macavity, I decided to adopt a Niffler,' Dalibor said. 'And he's a great help to me. But your Macavity is nonpareil, of course. He helped no end in that business of Ostry Kamen.'

'The treasure of Ostry Kamen?' the Hon. Evelyn perked up his ears.

'Yes,' Blaise said 'Dalibor found a chart, and as I know Latin better, and Macavity can find the way, we helped Dalibor.'

'I'd never find it without Blaise and Macavity,' Dalibor said.

'Don't mention it,' Blaise said modestly.

'Ostry Kamen is a castle in Slovakia,' the Hon. Evelyn said. 'Ruins of a castle, rather. There was a story that there was a great treasure - chests with ancient coins - caved in somewhere inside it.'

'It was caved in,' Blaise said. 'It isn't any more.'

'The things you learn of your school friends!' Justin said.

'You were together?' Dalibor asked. 'At Hogwarts?'

'Yes,' Blaise said. 'Justin was one year my junior.'

Then the five of them went to wander the town. Blaise showed to his friends a small fortress with excellent battlements.

'This is the Minceta Fortress,' Blaise said. 'It was built as a defying challenge to all the impudent fellows; today it is one of the most beautiful symbols of the city. Nichifor Ranjina built the first, smaller, square-shaped one in 1319. Then a new part was added to it, and thus it acquired its present monumental round shape. This was done by the famous Renaissance architect, the Florentine Michellozzo Michellozzi, and one of the greatest Croatian Renaissance architects, Juraj Dalmatinac. The building was completed in 1464 according to the plan of Juraj Dalmatinac. One can get a wonderful view of the city from this impressive building.'

'I get you,' Justin said. Blaise nodded with a smile, and they mounted the fortress to see the city. The view was truly amazing.

Then they went further, till they found themselves near a massive gate.

'This is the western gate of Dubrovnik, the Pile Gate,' Blaise said. 'The Pile Gate, the eastern Ploce Gate, two gates to the harbor and the Buza Gate are the only ways of entrance into the city. Buza means simply 'hole' and was made in the 19^th century for the easier communication with the northern suburb. The city can be entered only on foot: no vehicles are allowed here, thank Heaven!'

'Yes,' Justin said. 'All this smell of petrol - it's disgusting!'

His friends nodded wholeheartedly.

They then saw a small lovely Renaissance church with a rose window.

'This must be Saint Savior's,' Blaise said. 'It was built by the decision of the Dubrovnik Senate in 1520 as a token of gratitude for the salvation of the city in the earthquake of that year. This church remained undamaged even in the earthquake of 1667 and survived in its original shape to this day. It was made by the local builders, the Andrijic brothers from Korcula.'

'So this city suffered the great earthquake in the next year as London suffered the great fire?' the Hon. Evelyn said.

'Exactly,' Blaise said.

'These thin's consolidate,' the Hon. Evelyn said. 'I'm a Londoner, you know.'

'You're a Ravenclaw, Eve?' Blaise asked.

'Most assuredly,' the Hon. Evelyn said proudly.

Another side of the gate was protected by a fort with a beautiful stone coronet on top.

'This is the Fort Bokar,' Blaise said. 'It was built after the plans of the architect Michellozzi in the 15^th century. Its task was to defend the gate.'

Then they saw an abbey.

'This is the Franciscan Monastery,' Blaise said. 'It boasts the best library in the town. It has the best collection of manuscripts - a perfect place for anyone who wants to study the literary works of old Ragusans.'