The Treasures, now numbering 35, is the Academy’s list of places of a symbolic nature for European cinema, places of historical value that need to be maintained and protected not just now but also for generations to come.
In its 100-year-long cinema history, the streets, city walls and palaces of Dubrovnik have provided inspiration to numerous filmmakers. Dubrovnik’s well-preserved and unique architectural harmony, particularly its main pedestrian street, Stradun (today’s appearance of which dates back to the 17th century), offer an abundance of filmic expressions, HAVC said.
The cavalry of the Mexican army passes down Stradun in the 1961 Euro-western "The Taste of Violence", while in 1978 the fascist occupation army does the same in the Yugoslav film "Occupation in 26 Pictures", based on WWII historical events.
With minimal modifications, Stradun is easily transformed into Goya’s Madrid for the 1971 "Goya - oder Der arge Weg der Erkenntnis" or papal Rome for the 1991 "The Pope Must Die". It is also frequented by superheroes, in "Captain America" (1990), and the "The Three Fantastic Supermen" from 1967.
In more recent times, thanks to the growing popularity of Dubrovnik as a filming location, spacecraft from a distant galaxy have flown over the city’s central street in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" from 2017, while rebels led by Robin Hood have marched down it in "Robin Hood: Origins" from 2018.