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Lokrum, a small island about 700 m southeast of Dubrovnik, also known as the island of kings, Lokrum has its first writing mention in 1023 as the Benedictine abbey and monastery are founded. According to legend, Richard the Lion-heart shipwrecked in 1192 after returning home from the crusades and found himself cast ashore, safe on Lokrum, and he pledged to build a church on the island idebted for the salvation but at the plee of Dubrovnik citizens, the church was not built on Lokrum but in The City instead. That church is still there waiting for your visit. The very name Lokrum comes from the Latin, acrumen, meaning sour fruit and it's a name that comes from the tradition of bringing and cultivating exotic plants from all corners of the world on the island and this tradition started in the time of the Bendictines. This tradition was nurtured through the whole existance of The Dubrovnik Republic and later on with the rule of the Maximilan Ferdinand of Habsburg as he had a mansion built on the island in 1859 with a magnificent garden laid out, criss crossed with pathways, full of amazing plants and botanical wonders. So it's not a surprise that in 1959 a Botanical Garden is founded on Lokrum where you can see special and endemic tropic and subtropic plants and other vegetation originating from Australia to South America. Today Lokrum is a Nature Reserve and a Special Forest Vegetation Reserve. There is also another famous Botanical Garden in Dubrovnik, Arboretum in Trsetno, considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
Lokrum is the favourite excursion destination of the population of Dubrovnik, as well as of many tourists, only 10-15 minutes (by boat) from Dubrovnik. The islet is always green, with the luxuriant subtropical vegetation, a forest of holm oak, Mediterranean underbrush and Aleppo pine. Lokrum has a number of beautiful coves, beaches and promenades. It is also a protected nature park. The fortress, today a vista point, offers an unforgettable view on the island and the entire city of Dubrovnik. A special attraction of Lokrum is the small lake, called Mrtvo More (Dead Sea). Lokrum may be reached from Dubrovnik by regular tourist boat lines, which depart from the old town port.
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