Sponza Palace, Dubrovnik

"Our weights do not allow cheating. When I measure goods, God measures with me." An inscription on an arch in the Sponza Palace in the Old Town carries this declaration in Latin. The palace is also called Divona ("customs"). Built-in the 16th century, its name is derived from the Latin "spongia", meaning a rainwater catchment.

The rectangular building shows a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance elements. It was designed by architect Paskoja Milicevic Mihov somewhere between 1516 and 1522. The ground floor fronting Luza Square has a Renaissance portico of five arches supported by slender Corinthian columns with floral capitals.

Stone masonry was carried out by the brothers Josip and Nikola Andrijic from the island of Korcula. The facade expresses a harmonic styling arrangement. The Renaissance arcade is on the ground floor, Gothic triforiums are on the upper floor, and Renaissance windows are on the top floor, with an alcove holding a statue of Saint Blaise.

The Sponza Palace survived the 1667 earthquake intact. It was built as a customs house and has done service as a mint, treasury, armory, and bank. The rooms around the atrium hold an exhibit of documents dating from the 11th century. The Memorial Room of Defenders is a tribute to the victims and heroes of the 1990s wars.