Throughout 2022, Dubrovnik marks the 750th anniversary of its Statute with a series of events, lectures, exhibitions and workshops. Promulgated on 29 May 1272, the Statute of Dubrovnik is one of the oldest statutes in Croatia. Although it was not the first collection of Dubrovnik’s laws, it was certainly the most comprehensive and successful, remaining the basis of its legal system for over five centuries, until the fall of the Republic of Dubrovnik in 1808.

The Statute is written in Latin and consists of 487 chapters divided into eight books, two of which were added later. It regulates state administration, courts and trials and deals with matters of family law, real estate, town planning, public services, defense of the city, criminal and maritime law.
From today’s perspective, the Statute is interesting not only in terms of legal history, but also because it provides excellent insight into the inner workings of Dubrovnik in medieval and later periods, as well as private lives of its citizens. Combined with numerous preserved transcripts of trials held in Dubrovnik courts throughout centuries, it paints a detailed picture of life in the Republic of Dubrovnik.

The oldest preserved copy of the Statute dates from the 1330s and is held by the Dubrovnik State Archives.