The medieval city of Dubrovnik, in Croatia, boasts many distinctions. Surrounded by ancient walls and a sea of azure waters that enchant visitors, during the Middle Ages it was the only city-state with enough prominence to rival Venice.
Another lesser-known aspect is that the Pearl of the Adriatic, as this Croatian city is known, was the first known European municipality to implement a smart quarantine and to build isolation spaces to combat the major diseases that plagued humanity. This is what archaeologist Ante Milošević and physician Ana Bakija-Konsuo assert in their book "Lazaretto in Dubrovnik: Beginning of Quarantine Regulation in Europe."
In the 14th century, during a time of leprosy epidemics, Dubrovnik—then still known as Ragusa—became the first Mediterranean port to isolate people, animals, and goods arriving from infected areas by sea or land, keeping them separate from the healthy population, as Ana explains in an interview with the BBC. She contrasts this with Venice, which halted all shipping and trade, completely disrupting life in the city.
