Hundreds of thousands of feet pass down the steps from the Pile Gate into the historic core of the Old City of Dubrovnik on a weekly basis. And over time the rough limestone is polished down to a marble like finish.

In fact many visitors to Dubrovnik believe that the main street, the Stradun, which runs through the heart of the city, is made of marble due to its gloss finish. In fact it, and most of the rest of the streets and buildings, is constructed from limestone. But with the millions of flip-flops, sandals and boots that slide over the stones every year the limestone is buffed up to a marble like finish.

Whilst the “shining” Stradun may look nice on photos it can also be slippery, especially when the spring rains fall. So regularly the busiest streets in Dubrovnik are “roughed up” by workers hammering away to form better grip. It is a long and tedious process, as of course everything must be done by hand, but the end result is better grip and the hopeful prevention of injuries. This work was started yesterday on the steps leading down from the Pile Gate in preparation for another busy summer season.