Hotel Belvedere is a former luxury hotel in Dubrovnik, Croatia, situated on a steep coastal slope in the Sveti Jakov area, east of the city's historic centre. It was designed by Croatian architect Julije De Luca, together with Mirko Bertić and Josip Dumančić of the Zagreb-based Industrijski projektni zavod – OOUR "AR-projekt". The hotel opened on 26 May 1985 as the third de luxe-category hotel in the wider Dubrovnik area.
The complex contained 210 accommodation units with a total of 462 beds. Because of the steep terrain, its large building mass was divided into a series of interconnected volumes descending towards the sea. Architectural studies have variously discussed the hotel in relation to structuralism, critical regionalism and postmodern architecture.
The hotel operated until 1991, when it was heavily damaged by shelling during the Siege of Dubrovnik and part of the complex was destroyed by fire. It was not restored after the war and has remained out of use. The hotel properties were acquired by Vila Larus d.o.o. in 2014. A replacement resort was subsequently designed by Croatian architectural studio 3LHD, but as of September 2026 the existing hotel had not been demolished and construction of the new complex had not begun.
History
Earlier development of the site
The tourism potential of the Sveti Jakov area had been recognised by the beginning of the 20th century. In 1908, the Syndicate for the Construction and Management of Hotels and Health Resorts in Dalmatia requested a long-term lease of municipal land near the Monastery of St James for the construction of a hotel. The Dubrovnik municipal council approved the request, but the project was not realised because the investor was unable to secure the necessary financing.
A smaller guesthouse named Belvedere was later built on the steep terrain above the coastal cliffs for British citizen Eileen Lewisohn, to a design by Sarajevo builder Mihajlo Blagojević and Rikard Trostman. An annexe was added behind the guesthouse in 1935.E. Fiorenini Škerlj, Izgradnja područja Ploče u Dubrovniku od kraja I. svjetskog rata do danas, master's thesis, 1979, p. 22.
Plans for a substantially larger hotel complex were revived in the second half of the 1970s. The hotel company HTP Dubrovnik entered negotiations with the Cleveland-based company Intertower International over a joint investment, and an early proposal envisaged a luxury hotel with about 700 beds.
In 1981, the Municipal Assembly of Dubrovnik ordered the preparation of the Belvedere–Sveti Jakov implementation plan. Adopted the following year, the plan designated the area between Frana Supila Street and the coast for tourism development and called for an urban-planning and architectural competition.
The proposed development was opposed by some heritage and architectural specialists. Dubrovnik's Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and Nature raised concerns about the scale of the planned complex. Art historian Milan Prelog described the area as one of the last preserved parts of Dubrovnik's natural setting and criticised its conversion to intensive tourist development.
The investor organised an invited architectural competition in 1982. As none of the first-stage proposals fully met the programme and planning requirements, several entrants were asked to develop their designs further. In July 1983, the proposal by Julije De Luca, Mirko Bertić and Josip Dumančić was selected as the basis for further development, subject to modifications.Hotel Belvedere, Tehnički opis glavnog projekta, HR-DADU, Općina Dubrovnik, Hotel Belvedere, UP/I-05/5-579-84, box 18, 1984.
Construction began on 24 November 1983 with the extension of Frana Supila Street.
Architecture
Site and layout
Belvedere was built south of the historic Benedictine complex of St James, on a steep site between the extension of Frana Supila Street and the Adriatic coast.
According to the main design documentation, the slope of the site was approximately 37–40 degrees. The architects identified several principal design constraints: the hotel's prominent position in views from the old city, the large volume required by the programme, exposure to southerly and south-easterly winds, and the intention to retain existing vegetation.
The main architectural concept was based on dividing the required building mass into smaller volumes arranged in terraces down the slope. Although the concept was modified during the design process, this remained the defining spatial characteristic of the completed complex.
The complex had 18 levels divided among several spatial and functional sections. Public, food-and-beverage, administrative and service facilities were concentrated primarily in the upper part of the site along Frana Supila Street, while the accommodation wings descended towards the south and east. The western section contained indoor and outdoor swimming pools and sun terraces.
At the time of opening, the hotel contained 210 accommodation units with a total of 462 beds. In addition to guest accommodation, it included several restaurants and bars, conference and entertainment facilities, retail and service spaces, swimming pools and numerous terraces.
The lower part of the complex was linked to a seaside promenade with additional hospitality facilities and an amphitheatre. In 1986, a bathing area designed by Mato Kortizija was constructed on the rocks south of the hotel.
Design and architectural reception
The hotel's structure consisted predominantly of reinforced-concrete walls, slabs and frame systems, while a metal structure spanned the indoor swimming pool.
De Luca sought to reduce the visual impact of the complex by dividing it into smaller interconnected volumes. A particularly prominent feature was the vertical circulation tower, which the project documentation described as evoking a Romanesque tower through its form and materials, thereby establishing a visual association with Mediterranean architecture.
The façades combined white stone, stone-textured render, large glazed surfaces, reddish aluminium panels and other contemporary materials. Flat roofs and terraces on the accommodation wings were partly surfaced with dark-red ceramic material. Reflective glazing was used in parts of the public areas so that the surrounding sky and vegetation were reflected in the façades.
Architectural interpretations of Belvedere have differed. Andrija Mutnjaković classified it, together with De Luca's Kristal and Diamant hotels in Poreč, among the architect's structuralist works. Zlatko Tot identified both structuralist and regionalist principles in the design and discussed it in relation to critical regionalism,Zlatko Tot, Kritički regionalizam u opusu arhitekta Julija De Luce, diploma thesis, Department of Art History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. while Božo Benić interpreted the hotel in the context of postmodern hotel architecture, particularly its fragmentation of building volumes, metaphorical use of elements associated with Mediterranean architecture, and combination of traditional and contemporary materials.Božo Benić, Kriteriji i modeli za obnovu hotelske arhitekture modernizma na primjerima dubrovačkog područja, doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb, 2026.
Architect Ivan Štraus praised the way in which De Luca distributed the building along the steep coastline, creating the impression of a fragmented and dispersed mass. Art historian Duško Kečkemet likewise identified Belvedere as one of the more noteworthy examples of Dubrovnik's tourist architecture of the 1980s because of its division into smaller building units distributed over the steep terrain, although he criticised the scale of hotel development in Dubrovnik during the period.
The later Detailed Development Plan for Belvedere took a more critical view of the building's relationship with its surroundings, stating that despite the fragmentation of its volumes, from distant viewpoints the complex was still perceived as a large irregular mass dominating the site.Detaljni plan uređenja "Belvedere", City of Dubrovnik.
Operation and wartime destruction
Belvedere officially opened on 26 May 1985. Contemporary sources described it as among the most luxurious and best-equipped hotels in Yugoslavia. Its location and facilities also enabled it to host conferences and other events.
In the early 1990s, following the break-up of the former HTP Dubrovnik organisation, the hotel became part of the newly established Hotelsko-turističko poduzeće "Belvedere".Državni ured za reviziju, Područni ured Dubrovnik, Izvješće o obavljenoj reviziji pretvorbe i privatizacije – HTP "Belvedere", Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, March 2002.
During the Siege of Dubrovnik in late 1991, the hotel was heavily damaged by shelling and part of the complex was destroyed by fire. It was not subsequently returned to operation. During the following decades, the abandoned complex was affected by vandalism, removal of its furnishings and progressive deterioration.
Post-war ownership
After the war, HTP Belvedere entered the process of ownership transformation and privatisation. Belvedere d.d. was established in 1995, and substantial shareholdings were subsequently held by INA and privatisation funds. The Croatian State Audit Office later identified irregularities in parts of the ownership-transformation process. INA Turizam concluded an agreement for the repair and reconstruction of the hotel in 1995. Some work was carried out, but the reconstruction was never completed and the hotel did not reopen.
In the early 2000s, a controlling stake passed to private investors. By 2008, the Panamanian company Cleostone Corporation, associated with Croatian-British businessman Zvonko Stojević, was reported as the majority shareholder, while INA retained a substantial minority holding. Cleostone announced plans for a reconstruction valued at approximately €50 million, but the project was not realised.
After a loan secured against the hotel properties was not repaid, INA initiated enforcement proceedings and a sale of the properties in 2010.INA – Industrija nafte d.d., Godišnje izvješće 2022., notes to the financial statements, "Predmeti Belvedere", 2022. Bankruptcy proceedings against Belvedere d.d. were opened in July 2012.
The first public auction of the hotel properties in 2013 was postponed because of questions concerning the maritime domain, while a subsequent auction attracted no bidders.
At a renewed auction on 9 May 2014, the sole bidder was Vila Larus d.o.o., which purchased the hotel properties for €12.2 million. Contemporary sources linked Vila Larus with Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg.3LHD, "3LHD pobjednik natječaja za Hotel Belvedere u Dubrovniku", 30 June 2016.
The sale transferred the hotel properties to Vila Larus, rather than the shares of Belvedere d.d. The company itself continued to exist in bankruptcy until the proceedings were concluded in 2022.
Redevelopment proposals
2013 development plan
In 2013, the Dubrovnik City Council adopted the Detailed Development Plan for Belvedere, which provided for demolition of the existing hotel and construction of a new hotel complex. The plan permitted a hotel of up to 300 rooms, parking facilities, a concert hall and conference facilities.City of Dubrovnik and Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb, Detaljni plan uređenja "Belvedere", 2013; "Odluka o donošenju Detaljnoga plana uređenja 'Belvedere'", Službeni glasnik Grada Dubrovnika, no. 5/13.
A subsequent heritage impact assessment, later reviewed by the ICOMOS, considered the amount of construction permitted by the plan excessive in relation to the sensitivity of the site and the setting of Dubrovnik's historic centre.
3LHD proposal