A short ferry ride from Dubrovnik’s Old Port will take you Lokrum. An island that boggles the mind with its rich and sometimes even scary history. Its name derives from the Latin name for the sour fruit “acrumen’’ as Lokrum has a long tradition of cultivating exotic plants since the arrival of the Benedictine church order on the island. Lokrum houses a monastery and a botanical park from the era of the Austrian archduke Maximilan who once owned a holiday home on this island. Legend has it, the former English King Richard the Lionheart was saved and cast ashore on Lokrum following a shipwreck on his way back home from The Third Crusade and consequently built a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dubrovnik.
Among the numerous legends that have circulated over the years about the island of Lokrum, there is one in particular that is sure to make your blood run cold in your veins: the Benedictine monks were ordered off the island when the French army led by Napoleon occupied the former Republic of Dubrovnik. On the day before their departure, the monks placed a curse on the island while circling the island three times in a mysterious procession. Their solemn expressions hidden under their hoods and their candles lit and turned held upside down, the monks whispered the following words: “Whosoever claims Lokrum for his own personal pleasure shall be damned!” Since, many incidents throughout history have shown the monk’s curse has fulfilled its promise with each former would-be owner meeting his usually untimely death in a suspicious manner, due to this, no one wants to claim the island of Lokrum.
Rumour has it that even if you stay there overnight, you will not see the light of dawn.
The last ferry leaves the island at 18:00. So make sure to catch it. Just sayin’.
