Dubrovnik is one of the world's most beautifully preserved medieval cites. George Bernard Shaw famously called it "paradise on earth". In 1979, Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.
The distinctive Old Town is encircled with massive stone walls completed in the 16th century. Its well-preserved buildings range from baroque St. Blaise Church to Renaissance Sponza Palace and Gothic Rector’s Palace, now a history museum. Paved with limestone, the pedestrianized Stradun (or Placa) is lined with shops and restaurants.