Roland's Column (Croatian Orlandov stupas) is located on Luža Square, in front of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The column was built in 1419 according to the design of the Lombard sculptor Bonnino di Jacopo. It was to symbolize the political and economic independence of Dubrovnik from the Republic of Venice. From the time of the uprising until the entry of Napoleonic forces in 1806, a wooden mast stood next to the column, on which the flag of the Republic of Ragusa (Republic of Dubrovnik) was lifted.
The idea of erecting a column was born in 1396, when Sigismund of Luxemburg, son of the German emperor Charles IV, came to Dubrovnik, returning after a defeated battle with the Turks at Nikopolis. He offered to look after the city in exchange for 2,000 ducats. Currently in front of Roland's column is the inauguration of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival - the largest cultural event in Croatia, one of the largest festivals in Europe. The right arm of the medieval knight is a model of the Dubrovnik elbow - the measure is 51.2 cm long.
Similar to the Dubrovnik column was exhibited in many European cities. The figure of the Walloon knight, popularized by the Song of Roland, became a symbol of freedom and independence, conducting free trade and establishing own law. The cult of Roland in Dubrovnik was so great that the legend arose that Roland defended the city against the Saracens attack by personally defeating a pirate named Spuzente in a duel. Dubrovnik actually survived the Saracens siege of 15 months, but it happened in the ninth century, long after Roland's death (778).
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