With the traditional raising of the Libertas flag and the timeless verses of Gundulić’s Hymn to Liberty, the 77th Dubrovnik Summer Festival officially opened on Friday evening in front of the Church of St Blaise.
Once again, the heart of the Old City became a grand open-air stage, bringing together music, theatre, dance and Dubrovnik’s enduring symbols of freedom. Directed and choreographed by Leo Mujić, with a script by Željka Udovičić Pleština, the ceremony unfolded under the baton of conductor Ivan Repušić, with costumes designed by Leo Kulaš.
The programme featured the Munich Radio Orchestra, soprano Marija Kuhar Šoša, the Ivan Goran Kovačić Academic Choir, the Dubrovnik Chamber Choir, the Libertas and Blasius choirs, the children’s choir of the Luka Sorkočević Art School, the Linđo Folklore Ensemble and the Festival Drama Ensemble.
“We are the temporary guardians of this City”
Declaring the Festival open, Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković placed the focus of his speech on the relationship between Dubrovnik, its space and the generations responsible for preserving it.
He described Dubrovnik as one of the rare cities in which art is not merely a visitor, but a permanent resident, and emphasised that the Festival has long been an inseparable part of the city’s identity, its Croatian character and European cultural heritage.
Franković also spoke about the measure and restraint that shaped Dubrovnik through the centuries. Referring to the Statute, the reconstruction that followed the great fire of 1296 and the rules that protected the common good, he warned that a city can also be lost when it forgets who it is.
“We are not the owners of this City. We are its temporary guardians.”
His message was clear: the future of Dubrovnik should not be measured only by how much more can be built or accommodated, but by how much of the authentic City must remain for the generations yet to come. Looking from Orlando, the symbol of freedom and dignity, towards Mount Srđ and Fort Imperial, Franković also paid tribute to the Croatian defenders who made it possible for Dubrovnik to continue gathering, creating and celebrating in freedom.
Among the guests attending the ceremony were Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković, Deputy Prime Minister Branko Bačić, Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek, ministers Nataša Mikuš Žigman, Radovan Fuchs and Tonči Glavina, and European Commissioner Dubravka Šuica. They were joined by representatives of the diplomatic corps, rectors, local and regional officials, religious representatives, artists, citizens and visitors.
A traditional reception beneath a sky of fireworks
Following the opening ceremony, invited guests traditionally gathered on the spectacular seaside terrace of the Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, known locally as the Umjetnička galerija.
Representatives of Dubrovnik’s public and cultural life mingled with artists, members of the Festival ensembles and numerous guests. Among the familiar faces were Festival Director Ivona Šimunović, Ivica Prlender, actors Maro Martinović, Barbara Nola and Nika Lasić, artist Braco Dimitrijević and Biserka Petrović.
The evening reached its traditional finale as a spectacular fireworks display illuminated the sky above Dubrovnik, offering guests on the gallery terrace one of the most beautiful views of the city and the sea.
It was a scene Dubrovnik knows well, yet one that never loses its magic: summer dresses and formal suits, conversations beneath the stars, the illuminated city walls and fireworks announcing that the Festival has begun.
Over the next 47 festival days, from 10 July to 25 August, Dubrovnik will host more than 70 theatre, music, dance, folklore and other cultural programmes across its historic streets, palaces, fortresses and open-air stages.
Photo: Ivan Pozniak
