Location: Behind the Cathedral, off Pred Dvorom street, south of the Old Town, Dubrovnik
Venue style: Baroque piazza · open-air market square and festival performance space
History
Named after Ivan Gundulić (1589–1638), Dubrovnik's greatest Baroque poet and playwright, whose imposing statue — created by sculptor Ivan Rendić and unveiled in 1893 — dominates the centre of the square. The square hosts Dubrovnik's morning market and has long served as an outdoor festival stage, particularly for Renaissance comedies and folk performances with the palace facades as backdrop. The Dubrovnik Summer Festival has used this square as an open-air theatre since its earliest editions.
Visitor notes
Check the venue's own site for schedules, bag policy and parking before you go.
Experiencing Gundulić Square Through the Day
Gundulić Square changes character dramatically between morning and evening, and timing your visit around those shifts is the best way to understand it. In the early hours the square belongs to the market: stalls set up around the statue offer seasonal fruit and vegetables, dried figs, lavender, candied citrus peel and other produce from the surrounding countryside. Arriving early gives you the liveliest selection and the gentlest light on the stone facades, before tour groups fill the narrow streets of the Old Town.
Look closely at the pedestal of the Gundulić statue. Its relief panels illustrate scenes from Osman, the poet's celebrated epic about the conflict between the Ottoman Empire and Poland, a work that became a touchstone of Croatian literary identity. The monument was unveiled during a period of growing national cultural awareness in the nineteenth century, which helps explain its prominence. Nearby, the broad stairway leading up towards the Jesuit church is often compared to Rome's Spanish Steps and makes a natural vantage point over the square.
Watching a performance here
When the square becomes a festival stage, the market gives way to temporary seating and the surrounding buildings act as scenery. Open-air productions in a space like this work differently from indoor theatre: sound carries off the stone, late-evening temperatures are usually pleasant, and the city's own rhythms, such as bells and swifts, become part of the experience. A few practical points help:
- Seating at outdoor festival venues is often limited, so book through official channels well in advance.
- Bring a light layer, as evenings can turn breezy even in midsummer.
- Arrive early; the Old Town's lanes are slow-moving on busy summer nights.
- Productions are often in Croatian, so check whether a performance offers surtitles or relies on visual storytelling.
Gundulić Square sits within easy walking distance of the city's other historic stages, making it simple to combine with a second venue on the same evening. Browse our guide to where to watch for nearby open-air settings, or check the events guide for what is currently on across Dubrovnik.