Lazareti

Lazareti is a quarantine complex on Ulica Frana Supila, just east of Ploče Gate and outside the old town walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is the surviving physical expression of a decree issued by the Republic of Ragusa in 1377, which required travellers and merchants arriving from plague-affected areas to wait on the islet of Mrkan and in Cavtat and later at Danče before entering the city. This is generally cited as one of the earliest quarantine laws in the world, and the term quarantino derives from the practice of detention for forty days. The present complex of long stone halls with courtyards was built in the 17th century, most of it from 1627, and its design was practical rather than ornamental: rows of arcaded rooms and storage spaces open onto courtyards, separated so that goods and people could be isolated and fumigated. Caravans from the Ottoman hinterland were housed here as part of a controlled system of trade. After the quarantine function ended in the 19th century, the buildings were adapted for other uses. In recent decades, the complex has become a centre of Dubrovnik's cultural life, with artists' workshops, a restaurant, exhibition spaces and the venue for the Dubrovnik Summer Festival events and performances, a clubbing scene in summer and the Dubrovnik Winter Festival. The scale of the long stone arcades, and the simple courtyards shaded by trees, makes the complex a contrast with the dense historic centre. Restoration has been gradual because of the size of the complex, and parts of the complex are still in need of repair, which gives it a lived-in, working atmosphere rather than a museum character. Courtyards can be visited during the day free of charge, and the site is about a five-minute walk from the Old Port and Ploče Gate, making it an easy addition to a stroll along the waterfront.