The Sponza Palace is the finest Renaissance building in Dubrovnik and one of the very few structures to have survived the earthquake of 1667 relatively intact — which is why it looks different from the Baroque uniformity around it. The building dates from 1516–22 and combines Gothic arches on the ground floor with Renaissance windows above, the whole composition unusually graceful for a commercial building.
Today it houses the State Archives and a Memorial Room to the Defenders of Dubrovnik from the 1991-92 siege. The memorial — photographs and names of the young men who died defending the city — is quietly powerful. The courtyard is accessible and often used for events during the Summer Festival. Located at the eastern end of the Stradun opposite the Clock Tower.