Fort Bokar

Fort Bokar juts out from the western wall like a stone barrel bolted to the rock, standing sentry over Pile Gate and the bridge that was the only land approach to the medieval city. Designed by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo in 1461, it is one of the earliest examples of a fully cylindrical artillery fort in Europe - a design specifically built to deflect cannonballs. Its lower half sits below sea level and its upper platform once carried the guns that could sweep both the moat and the coastline.

You enter Bokar from the wall walk just after starting the circuit at Pile. Inside, several vaulted levels are open to explore, with old cannon still in place and small exhibitions on the fort's construction and its role in the 1991 siege - it took direct hits in that recent war too. The lowest chamber has an opening down into the sea where the Ragusans once kept small boats. From the top platform you look straight across to Lovrijenac and down to the little Kolorina cove.

Because it is right at the start of the western wall stretch, most people walk past without going in. That is a mistake - the interior is one of the best-preserved artillery forts in the Adriatic and takes only twenty minutes. Combine it with the walls circuit; there is no separate ticket. If you are photographing Lovrijenac, Bokar's outer platform is the shot the guidebooks use.

Hours & entry

Not free

Apr-Sep 8:00-19:30 · Oct-Mar 9:00-15:00 · Access via City Walls

What to see

• Cannon chamber with original 17th-century gun — Middle level of the fort
• Sea-level boat opening — Lowest vault, look through the grate
• Platform view of Fort Lovrijenac — Upper deck facing west

Tips from the ground

• It is right after the Pile entrance - do not walk past it as everyone else does.
• The interior is genuinely cool in July - a good midday break.
• Ask at the door about the small siege-damage exhibit; it is easy to miss.