Motif: Tramway in Dubrovnik At the time when tram service in Dubrovnik was being established, Dubrovnik – then within the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy - counted about 12 000 inhabitants. After the fall of the Republic and arrival of Napoleon troops in town, Dubrovnik began to stagnate in all economic fields; however, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy – by building a new narrow gauge railway Brod – Bosanski Brod – Doboj – Sarajevo – Dubrovnik – Zelenika, gave a new impulse to the economic development of this part of Dalmatia. Right the building of this railway speeded up the realisation of the idea of establishing a traffic connection between Gruž and Pile which two parts of the town before introducing the tram line, were left to unreliable transport by carriages, later superseded by horse-drawn omnibuses. At the time of introducing tram in Dubrovnik, Gruž was at the outskirts of town, but on the other hand it was a harbour and as such the starting point of all travels. Equally so, in those days Gruž was also a kind of industrial zone of Dubrovnik but also an area of its potential growth. Everything taken into consideration, it was understandable, logical and economically sustainable to connect these two parts of the town. By putting into operation the electric power plant, i.e. thermal power plant in Dubrovnik on 1 June 1901 the preconditions for Dubrovnik tram service were fulfilled. Then, in 1905, the Committee for establishing electric tram service, headed by Luko Bona – certainly one of the most deserving persons who contributed to the realisation of the project - was established. Other members of the Committee were: Ivo Papi, Dr. Miho Papi, Dr. Artur Saraka, Mato Šarić, Dr. Antun Pugliesi, Dr. Mato Gracić, Dr. Ivo Degiulli, Ernest Katić and Antun Milić. After that, in 1908, a new Founding Committee Ltd was established, joined by all exponents of capital in town. The building of the Dubrovnik tramway service is an achievement of an exceptional economic synergy, patriotism and sacrifice, unconceivable today. The realisation of such a project was to show to Vienna that once glorious and economically powerful town is still full of potential to independently realise for that time an indeed technically and economically highly demanding project. The rapidity of laying tracks testifies it: the tracks were laid in only 48 working days. The company Fr. Križik from Prag was awarded the realisation of the project. First five Dubrovnik tram vehicles, their machinery and drive were bought from the factory Grazer Wagonen und Maschinenfabrik. The Dubrovnik tramway had in 1910 five motor cars with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and three closed trailers, also bought from the abovementioned company in Graz, with the registration numbers 21, 22 i 23. Dubrovnik electric tramway was put into operation on 22 December 1910 and was in function until 1970. On 7 March 1970 about 9.00 a.m. there was a heavy accident at Pile when the tram car no.5 driving on line Pile – Lapad, came off the rails and tumbled into city park at Pile. One person died, and several were wounded. Shortly after that accident, on 20 March 1970, at 12.00, the Dubrovnik tram traffic was suspended on all lines. The day when the tram of Dubrovnik had its last drive will remain in lasting memory to many inhabitants. Several thousand of them came for that last drive showing the emotional tie with this vehicle, lasting to date with equal intensity. In any case, the tram of Dubrovnik is a part of cultural and technical heritage of entire Croatia and also the only tram that drove in Dalmatia. Today the Dubrovnik tramcar with a trailer is exposed in the Technical Museum in Zagreb. Božo Lasić
