Dubrovnik is situated on the picturesque Dalmatian coast. It became an important Mediterranean Sea power from the 13th century onwards, and for centuries it was a flourishing port and a rich centre of international trade. In 1667 a severe earthquake hit the city but most of its solid representative buildings survived. Those are the numerous churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains built in different epochs, for which the city used to be called “The Pearl of the Adriatic”. After the damages it suffered in the 1990s Dubrovnik is now the focus of a major restoration programme co-ordinated by UNESCO.