Mémorial

Sponza Palace

#4sur 10 lieux à visiter à DubrovnikDubrovnik, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia

Aussi appelé Palača Sponza · Divona

L'essentiel

Horaires d'ouverture : 09:00–21:00 and 10:00–15:00. Entrée : €5. Comptez 30 min. Meilleure période : Late afternoon or evening.

Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026 · Rédigé par Traveliac, avec assistance IA · 3 min de lecture

ItinéraireSite officiel

Photo: Marcin Konsek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Horaires d'ouverture: 09:00–15:00; Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders reported open 09:00-21:00 from May to October and 10:00-15:00 in winter as of 2026.
Prix d'entrée: €5; Billet à partir de
Durée nécessaire: 30 min
Meilleur moment de la journée: Late afternoon or evening
Meilleurs mois: May – Jun, Sep – Oct
Adresse: Luža Square (Stradun east end), 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia

À propos de Sponza Palace

Sponza Palace in Dubrovnik was built between 1516 and 1522 and now houses the State Archives, with a ground-floor atrium open to visitors, as of 2026. The palace is a rare Old Town building that survived the 1667 earthquake, and its Gothic-Renaissance facade of pale limestone stands on Luža Square at the eastern end of Stradun. Stonework is traditionally attributed to the Andrijić brothers from Korčula and the design to municipal engineer Paskoje Miličević.

Meilleur moment de la journée : Late afternoon or evening. When the atrium is quiet and cruise groups have gone.

Horaires de Sponza Palace

Horaires d'ouverture: 09:00–15:00; Mon–Sun 09:00–21:00 and 10:00–15:00; Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders reported open 09:00-21:00 from May to October and 10:00-15:00 in winter as of 2026.
Fermé le: Ouvert tous les jours

Mon–Sun	09:00–21:00 and 10:00–15:00

Bon à savoir : The atrium hosts concerts and exhibitions during the Dubrovnik Summer Festival and can be closed to sightseers at those times; verify at the palace.

Horaires d'ouverture établis à partir de experiencedubrovnik.com et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Prix d'entrée de Sponza Palace

Entry fees for Sponza Palace
Billet	Prix
Billet standard	€5
Tarif réduit (étudiant / senior)	€5
Enfants	€5

Sources conflict on Sponza Palace admission. One guide lists EUR 5 per person (EUR 3 in groups) for the atrium in summer and free entry off-season, as of 2026; other visitors report free access to the atrium and Memorial Room. As of 2026, verify at the entrance on Luža Square. The palace is not covered by the Dubrovnik Pass. Temporary exhibitions and events may charge separately.

Tarifs établis à partir de experiencedubrovnik.com et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Meilleure période pour visiter Sponza Palace

Quiet
Moderate
Busy

09:00 - 11:00
MorningBest time to go
Few visitors at opening; the atrium is quiet and cool.
Quiet
11:00 - 15:00
Cruise Midday
Groups pass through Luža Square and cluster near the palace entrance.
Busy
15:00 - 18:00
Afternoon
Foot traffic drops and the atrium is a comfortable rest from the heat.
Moderate
18:00 - 21:00
Evening
Summer events bring locals and small queues; the palace stays open to 21:00 May-October.
Moderate

Histoire de Sponza Palace

Sponza Palace served the Republic of Ragusa as customs house, bonded warehouse, mint and office of weights and measures, a single building where trade was taxed, stored and stamped. Construction ran from 1516 to 1522, and an inscription in the atrium is commonly cited as promising that false weights would not be tolerated; the exact wording is worth reading in person because translations differ.

Sponza Palace survived the 1667 earthquake almost undamaged, so its facade is a rare record of Dubrovnik before the disaster. The State Archives, which hold documents of the Ragusan government back to the 12th century, later took over the building. Today the ground-floor Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders displays photographs of those who died defending the city in the Croatian War of Independence of 1991-95, which gives the trading house a second, sombre role.

Règles et étiquette à Sponza Palace

Sponza Palace's Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders is a memorial, so modest dress, low voices and no flash photography are expected. The State Archives on the upper floors are working offices and are closed to casual visitors.

Sponza Palace's atrium is a public space in the daytime, and evenings in summer can bring concerts and exhibitions in the courtyard, some of which may be ticketed. Treat the limestone columns and the arcade as protected heritage: do not lean bags on them, climb on them or attach anything to them. The atrium floor is smooth stone and can be slick after rain blows in.

Conseils pour visiter Sponza Palace

1
Sponza Palace is best entered as a short break from Stradun's noise: the atrium is shaded, quiet and cool even in August, and it is one of the few free or low-cost interiors on Luža Square, as of 2026. Look up at the window tracery on the facade and at the round arches of the atrium loggia before you go in, and read the inscription about honest weights if it is legible in the light you have.
2
Sponza Palace sits steps from Orlando's Column, Saint Blaise's Church and the City Bell Tower, so combine them in a 45-minute loop. The palace is not part of the Dubrovnik Pass, so pay at the entrance if a fee applies. Look for the summer concert programme posted at the door, because an evening in the atrium is a better use of an hour than the crowded terraces outside, and the palace is open until 21:00 from May to October according to one guide.

Comment se rendre à Sponza Palace

L'étoile rouge indique Sponza Palace ; les repères numérotés sont les 5 lieux les plus proches de nos guides, chacun avec son classement dans sa ville. Touchez un repère pour plus de détails.

Luža Square (Stradun east end), 20000 Dubrovnik, CroatiaItinéraire sur Google Maps

Depuis Pile Gate
0.3 km · 5 min
Free on foot
Depuis Ploče Gate
0.3 km · 5 min
Free on foot
Depuis Dubrovnik Airport (DBV)
21 km · 40-50 min
approximately EUR 10-13 one way (verify at the airport)

Aéroport le plus proche

Depuis Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) at Čilipi

approximately 21 km, 30-40 minutes by airport shuttle bus to Pile Gate or by taxi.

Gare la plus proche

Depuis Dubrovnik has no railway station; the nearest public transport hubs are the Pile Gate bus stop (city buses and airport shuttle) and Gruž bus station, about 3 km away.

FAQ — Sponza Palace

How much does it cost to enter Sponza Palace?

Sources disagree: one guide lists EUR 5 in summer and free in the off-season, as of 2026, while others report free access. Verify at the entrance on Luža Square.

What is inside Sponza Palace?

The ground-floor atrium and the Memorial Room of the Dubrovnik Defenders are open to visitors, and the upper floors house the State Archives.

Who built Sponza Palace and when?

Municipal engineer Paskoje Miličević oversaw construction between 1516 and 1522, and the stonework is traditionally attributed to the Andrijić brothers from Korčula.

Did Sponza Palace survive the 1667 earthquake?

Yes. The palace came through the earthquake largely intact, which is why it is regarded as one of the best-preserved pre-1667 buildings in the Old Town.

Rédigé avec l'assistance de l'IA à partir de sources officielles et de registres publics, et publié seulement après les vérifications décrites dans Comment nous rédigeons ces guides. Personne chez Traveliac ne s'est rendu sur place. Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Comment nous classons et vérifions les lieux