History Museums in Dubrovnik

THE 10 BEST Dubrovnik History Museums

History Museums in Dubrovnik

Types of Attractions
Museums
Traveller rating
Good for
13 places sorted by traveller favourites
  • Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

What travellers are saying

  • Pekka_1859
    Oulu, Finland121 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An unexcepted and brutal highlight of our visit Dubrovnik. The realism of war, conflicts, death and destruction in pictures. Must-see!
    Written 16 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Brian L
    Chicago, IL385 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Although this is a considerable distance from the Old Town, I made a point to go here, having previously been to other Communist-themed museums in Eastern Europe.

    Really glad I came here in January, as there was only one other person there, making his way out as I was entering. I love being able to freely move about museums without poorly behaved tourists in the way!

    The curation of this museum is fantastic. There is plenty of history to reads about, but the artifacts on display are a really nice touch. I enjoyed walking through the model rooms and seeing lots of old stuff all together. It reminded me vaguely of my years spent in Eastern Europe.

    I especially like how they allow you to interact with a lot of the objects. Very little is housed behind glass, and they encourage you to open drawers and snoop around... to be honest it made me feel a bit uncomfortable, because I'm not used to being allowed to touch stuff on display!

    But I especially enjoyed chatting with Ljubomir before leaving. We had a chat about the exhibits, and the changing history of the region, compared the ways of life in the present compared to the past, as well as the differences with the West.

    High ratings are accurate! Definitely worth visiting, even if you have the smallest interest in history or politics.
    Written 29 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • CatharineB
    Ottawa, Canada1,117 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Located between the Town Hall and the Church of St. Blaise, the Rector's Palace was built in the thirteenth century. It underwent reconstructions in Renaissance style due to damage to the façade due to an explosion and in the Baroque style after the earthquake of 1667.

    In the Middle Ages, the Republic of Dubrovnik was ruled by a rector (similar to a Venetian doge), who was elected by the nobility. To prevent any one person from becoming too powerful, the rector’s term was limited to one month. During his term, the Rector lived upstairs in the palace.

    Its present appearance is a culmination of many additions and reconstructions throughout its turbulent history. In the courtyard there is also the statue of Miho Pracat, shipbuilder, banker and philanthropist. This was the first monument erected here to an ordinary person in the seventeenth century.

    The Rector’s Palace fulfilled many roles. Not only was it the place the rector lived and worked, it housed the Upper and Lower Council, was the site of many administrative offices, and home to public halls. It was also a prison.

    Today, the Rector’s Palace is home to the history department of the Museum of Dubrovnik, which takes visitors back through the history of the Dubrovnik Republic.

    The majority of the rooms within the palace contain furniture which has been recreated to suggest what the original style and atmosphere of the rooms would have been.

    There are also pieces of art, coats of arms of many noble families, paintings from old masters, coins minted by the Republic, the original keys of the city gates, and a number of important state documents, all of which are on permanent display at the palace.

    If you just stand in the doorway, you can generally get a free peak into the palace’s impressive courtyard. Our entrance was covered by the Dubrovnik pass.
    Written 13 December 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • tinaNtravel
    San Jose, CA2,011 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    This museum is in the building next to the Gondola building on the top of the hill. It costs 5 euros to enter and it is rather small, with each separate room containing a video and/or photos taken during the 1991-1995 war. You can go up to the rooftop to get great views of Dubrovnik and the sunset, without the crowds that are at the Gondola building.
    Written 18 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • SnowyShasta
    Portland, OR2,151 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This tower and related experiences are included in the cost of the Dubrovnik pass, but are really not well advertised and not easy to find. We were really happy that we'd visited, because we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and basically had it all to ourselves, even on a day when the city and walls were quite busy.

    The entrance here is hard to find. This tower is just under the Minceta Fortress, in the far northwest corner of the walled city. The Minceta Fortress and its top are part of the City Walls walk, but this tower is entered in a completely different place, from the town itself. Basically walk uphill and towards the corner of the walls as far as you can from town (we started at the Franciscan Church and went up from there). It's also called the Foundry Museum, since there's some views of the ancient city foundry.

    Overall we spent a full hour exploring here. There isn't a lot by way of signs, and we only saw a few other people during our hour, so we just wandered around and enjoyed the exploration and the sights.

    Once inside, we started off viewing the casements (from which guns/cannons were fired); these are fairly similar to others we've seen in old forts. You then go through the tower, where there are a couple rooms that have some small exhibits. This area also has (towards the bottom) some really nice and clean restrooms.

    Exiting the tower itself, we were on a part of the city walls different from the main wall walk. These walls are a little lower, and led us over the top of the Pile Gate entrance to the old city, and eventually to Fort Bokar (southwest corner of the old city). That has its own entry in TripAdvisor, so I'll put more details there. On the way we could descend down into another area that had some archaeologic excavations. Eventually we exited down some stairs a little bit to the south of the Pile Gate.

    Definitely recommend a visit here if you have any interest in old fortifications. We also enjoyed the views from a different angle looking out from the walls into the newer part of Dubrovnik, down onto the Pile Gate entrance, and out towards the sea.
    Written 22 September 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • dese2
    Auburn, NY2,687 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    We visited this small memorial just inside the Sponza Palace. There are photos of the many young men who died defending their homeland - The Croation War of Independance.
    There was no charge when we were there. Some war artifacts were on display in addition to the many photographs.
    Written 27 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • tinaNtravel
    San Jose, CA2,011 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    You can access this museum while walking along the wall. There are two levels, so be sure to not miss the upstairs. The museum contains what one would expect in a Maritime museum – replica ships, cannons, lanterns, ship gear, etc. It is worth stopping in, especially if you purchased the Dubrovnik Pass, as this museum is included with that pass. Also, there is a restroom at the entrance to the museum, which might come in handy.
    Written 18 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • The World is My Oyster
    Orlando, FL19,602 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Right near the main square, we loved walking by it as its columns practically came to life at night!
    Written 13 September 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • katrina s
    London, UK38 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A visit to Lokrum is well worth it. When it's hot in Dubrovnik it's cooler in the shade of the forest of the nature reserve. The boat trip over to the island is refreshing. We brough our tickets from the kiosk in Dubrovnik harbour and boats were every 30 mins.

    There aren't many restaurants on the island but there is a snack bar right by the harbour drop off. A drinks bar by the lake and a restaurant by the monestry where the game of thrones chair is.

    We also walked up to the castle on the hill.... it's a very steep climb and not in the shade. I would definitely have benefited from walking shoes rather than my sandles. It's also in the sun so quite hot.

    The peace and tranquility at the top of the hill were priceless and you could see the whole island.

    Well worth a visit.
    Written 18 July 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Caroline LP
    London, UK191 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    We visited this museum as part of the Dubrovnik Pass but would have been disappointed if paying at the point of entry as it quite a small exhibition. Lots of historical masonry-see the photos.
    Written 12 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • FarAway35859907765
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Only one word needed, Amazing!

    Museum is near the Hard Rock Cafe and local toilette in old town Dubrovnik. Worth the visit!
    Written 31 October 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • AmalfiAce
    London, UK88 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    I don’t know if it was the high entrance fee, the cluttered walls showing only small selection of work or just the work in general that I didn’t appreciate. The gallery itself is just a small room with a lady sat in the doorway. I didn’t feel that there was enough room to fully view the work. It’s a no from me I’m afraid, save your money.
    Written 22 May 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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