Are you looking for a truly unique Christmas gift? Perhaps something that will remind a loved one of an unforgettable experience, full of the history and cultural heritage of the Pearl of the Adriatic, or something to convey to your friends the enchantment that Dubrovnik offers? Well, then Dubrovnik Museums’ Gift Shop is the store for you!
The gift shop located within the Rector’s Palace has a collection of products thoughtfully designed and made from quality materials. Not only does the range offer a wide choice of gifts including clothing and accessories, jewellery, home decor and books, by purchasing a gift from there, you directly support the work of the city’s museums and help to preserve the heritage of Dubrovnik.
With discounts of 5- 20% on products from December 15th- 31st there’s even more reason to visit.
Here at Just Dubrovnik we’ve selected our top 5 Christmas gift ideas from the shop:
1. Dubrovnik Republic Map Scarf – inspired by the map of the Republic that Dubrovnik, commissioned from the well-known Venetian cartographer Vincenzo Coronelli. It was published in the celebrated atlas Isolario dell’ Atlante Veneto in Venice in 1696, and is the earliest extant map to show the territory of the Dubrovnik Republic reasonably accurately and reliably. A specimen of this map is kept in the Maritime Museum.
2. La Piccina Ester Brooch – Inspired by the depiction of a polacca, or pulaka in Dubrovnik dialect, in a painting called Dubrovnik polacca La Piccina Ester, commanded by Master Miho Burić, which is kept in the Maritime Museum. The picture was made in Dubrovnik in the 19th century, and represents the most common merchant vessel in the Dubrovnik merchant marine in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Dubrovnik polacca had no oars, and was a little larger than the ordinary Mediterranean polacca.
3. Seal of the Dubrovnik Republic Leather Business Collection – Includes a document case and a business folder, both displaying the motif of the Great Seal of the Dubrovnik Republic of the 18th century. It shows three towers with the likeness of the city’s patron saint, St Blaise (on the central tower) and his initials. The Republic used the Great Seal to authenticate treaties; today it is kept in the Cultural History Museum.
4. Maro and Baro Bell Strikers – The original Maro and Baro were commissioned in 1478 by Dubrovnik’s City Council, built to actual size, at 151 cm tall and ‘dressed’ in roman soldier’s uniform complete with helmets. Michelozzo di Bartolomeo Michelozz from Florence was most likely their sculptor, having served in Dubrovnik. After exposure to the elements Maro and Baro developed a green hue, hence their nickname ‘zelenci’ or ‘green ones’.
5. St. Blaise Cufflinks – Inspired by the collar buttons of the 19th century kept in the collection of the Ethnographic Museum. The buttons are used as pectoral decoration on men’s shirts for festive occasions in the Dubrovnik region. They are decorated with the likeness of Dubrovnik’s heavenly patron St.Blaise. Dubrovnik goldsmiths cast them in gold or in brass or silver gilt.
Visit the Dubrovnik Museums Shop at the Rector’s Palace / Open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
