During the 1990s, Captain Bogo Vuković began dreaming of building the replica of the 16th century Dubrovnik galleon, a vessel that embodies the era when the Dubrovnik Republic commanded a mighty fleet that sailed the seven seas and traded around the globe. After much dedication and years of painstaking work, Captain Bogo’s “tall ship dream” finally turned became reality.
Tirena was built in a specialized shipyard in Omiš, a city famous for being the main Adriatic stronghold of privateers during the Middle Ages. The construction proved to be quite a feat, as the actual shipyard had to be expanded to finish the ship.
The shipbuilding was supervised by the naval construction experts and took two years.
Tirena is a 31m long and 57 m wide replica of the 16th-century merchant Dubrovnik galleon. The, featuring one 15-meters tall mast, four square rigs, and one lateen was built according to the precise blueprints from the archive of The Maritime Museum Dubrovnik.
Her construction took two years and included the joint efforts of a team of historians, master shipbuilders, and expert carpenters. Presently, Galleon Tirena is the only historical ship replica in Croatia that is made entirely of wood, hull included.
As another homage to Dubrovnik’s history, the galleon was named after a fairy appearing in a work opened by Marin Držić, Dubrovnik’s most prominent Renaissance writer.
Galleon Tirena had her maiden voyage in October 2005 when she sailed into Dubrovnik’s historic port, welcomed by the thousands of proud citizens. This festive occasion was accompanied by an elaborate ceremony that was played out in Latin and Croatian language, by the actors dressed as the historic Dubrovnik’s dignitaries and troubadours.
