With the outbreak of Corona virus all over the world, one of the most used words became the quarantine. As we know, it’s a restriction on the movement of people and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of the disease or pests.

The word quarantine comes from Venetian quaranta giorni which means 40 days and during that period all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black Death plague epidemic.

History of Lazareti quarantine

Now, if you were reading my previous post, you already know history of the Republic of Dubrovnik. On July 27, 1377 the Great Council of the Republic adopted a decree which introduced a quarantine as a measure of protection against the spread of infectious diseases by which all merchants, sailors, and goods arriving from “suspicious lands” could not enter the city if they haven’t spent a month in a quarantines which were on the remote, uninhabited islands of Mrkan, Bobara, and Supetar.

The first country with a quarantine

he decree made history since Dubrovnik Republic was the first country that had quarantine and gave us, the tour guides, another thing to brag about. 😀 The location of the quarantine changed a few times during the history. The last one was in the mid 16th century when it was moved closer to the city and to present location, outside the eastern entrance Ploče gate. Lazareti contained 10 multistory buildings (5 for goods, 5 for people) connected by 5 interior courtyards. Quarantine had five areas and five residential buildings for passengers who had to go through it.

Today, they are home to various organizations such as Deša, Lazareti-Creative Neighborhood of Dubrovnik, and of course – a club. Do I have to tell you that I spended many, many Saturday evenings there? 😀

Rakija – a solution for everything

And how we are fighting viruses today, you may ask? Well, we listen to our grandmas and we put little bit of rakija (brandy) on it. Because it is not just a drink or apéritif but also a medicine, a massage lotion and a solution to all problems 🙂 And if you want to find out more about rakija and its flavours and production, ask the nearest person from the Balkans or your guide. 🙂

MORE STORIES & TIPS

MORE STORIES & TIPS