Jugoslovenski Rotar

good hotels and means of communication, to the well-conducted propaganda of the whole Yugoslav tourist area and to the established and well organized excursions into the immediate neighbourhood and to more distant places.

Let us glance at these warious factors which make of Dubrovnik the most powerful tourist centre of Yugoslavia.

Tradition. For a thousand years Dubrovnik was a free republic in good connexions with the whole world. Advantageously situated between the Kast and the West, acting as a mediator between the two and trading also with its Slavonic hinterland, it developed a prosperous commerce and accumulated great wealth. Thanks to its aristocratic form of government and its riches Dubrovnik was in the position to develop a first-rate diplomatic activity and to protect its independence and freedom as well as to bring its culture to a very high degree of excellence. We come across traces of this high culture at each step, in the form of pictures by great masters, statues, palaces, in the famous Archives of the Republic which are kept in the Rector’s Palace, the most important architectural monument of Dubrovnik. The fact that for centuries Dubrovnik has been known in the world and that still today it guards many cultural monuments of the firts order has played a prominent part in the development of its tourist traffic.

The geographic position. Next to this element of tradition, the geographic position in the southern Adriatic, not far from the main lines of the great luxurious steamers of various countries, was bound to induce the foreign steamship companies to include a visit to Dubrovnik in their pleasure cruises in the Mediterranean. So every year-many foreign ships with many hudnreds of visitors call at Dubrovnik. These short visits are very significant from the point of view of propaganda, because the visitors who see for themselves the beauties of this city, and, owing to the shortness of the visit do not completely satisfy their curiosity, are the best propaganda for Dubrovnik.

Climate. The geographic position of Dubrovnik, situated on the very sea-coast of the southern Adriatic under the mountain Srgj (412 metres) which protects it from the northern winds, gives Dubrovnik an exceptionally mild climate. The average temperature in the spring is 19 centigrades, in summer 24 centigrades, in autumn 14 centigrades, and in winter 11 centigrades, so that the average yearly temperature is 17 centigrades. These are no sudden changes of temperature and in a year there are 60% sunny days. As a result we find in Dubrovnik Wistarias, agaves, American aloes, olive trees, cypresses, palms, pine trees, orange and citron trees. The sea water with its high percentage of salt, 40 grammes in a litre, is very beneficial for our organism.

Hotels. The hotels of Dubrovnik, with the leading hotels Imperial and Excelsior, meet all the requirements of even the most particular visitors. The hotels are improving day to day. In this respect Dubrovnik surpasses all the places on the Adriatic coast. Very recently a new cafe (Gradska Kavana) has been opened which contributes much to the comfort of the guests by its dimensions and luxury.

Communications. The main maritime means of conveyance of Dubrovnik are the comfortable Yugoslav boats of the companies Jadran-