The elegant Rector’s Palace was built on the site of an old fort near the harbor in Dubrovnik’s Old City.
The Rector was the town’s puppet ruler, set up to project an image of order and importance to the outside world. Elected for only one month, the Rector was not allowed to leave the palace except on official business.
In addition to the Rector’s office and private chambers, the palace was the seat of the minor council and state administration and contained a watch-house, a prison and an armoury.
It was in that armory that a major explosion took place in 1463 destroying much of the Gothic architecture that had only been completed 25 years before by Onofrio di Giordano della Cava of Naples. What we see today is a mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and baroque styles that were added to the building over the years as a result of subsequent explosions and earthquakes.
