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June 5, 2009
Dubrovnik: Reborn under red rooftops
Dubrovnik’s main thoroughfare is not a highway, not a river. It is a pedestrian walkway called the Stradun, paved in limestone that has been worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. It passes through the center of the Old Town, a warren of fountains, churches, and other historic buildings crowned by terra cotta roofs. At first glance, the Stradun seems perfect, a piece of history preserved—but a much more recent history threatened to destroy it completely.
In October 1991, some 4,000 Serbian shells rained on Dubrovnik, shattering nearly every one of the Old Town’s red roof tiles and damaging 563 of 824 buildings. Alan and I founded our Foundation that very year. And in 1994, when Croatia began to rebuild, we donated $55,850 toward the restoration of Dubrovnik’s Old Town, including the beloved Stradun.
When I last visited in 2006, I was deeply moved to see that Dubrovnik had been restored to its former glory—and with rebuilding behind us, Alan and I were able to focus our charitable efforts on education. We’ve funded a total of eight schools in Croatia, several of which I visited in 2006 as part of our World Classroom initiative. And as I began to look toward the future of Croatia’s next generation, I could feel the scars of history receding further and further into the past.
When you visit Croatia with OAT, you’ll lay eyes on Dubrovnik and realize immediately why the restoration of this incredible place was such a labor of love—and why it will always be close to my heart.
Harriet Lewis