Dubrovnik is considered the human-scale city, and for the famous Irish writer G. B. Shaw Dubrovnik is a paradise on earth. Exceptional historical and cultural heritage brought Dubrovnik the title of the Slavic Athens. This pearl of the Croatian Adriatic has been included in UNESCO's World Heritage list since 1979, as witnessed by a large number of protected historical buildings.

Historical success of Dubrovnik was based on maritime trade. The culmination of its development was experienced in the Middle Ages when it became the Republic of Dubrovnik as the only city-state on the eastern coast of the Adriatic competing this way to its rival Venice. In recent times, Dubrovnik is strongly oriented to small and medium enterprises, mostly catering and tourist character.