Destruction of streets, City Walls and fountains
During the bombardment, the Old City of Dubrovnik received hits from more than 2,000 projectiles of various calibers. Serious damage was inflicted on streets, staircases, squares, fountains, stone sculptures on building and church façades and on the City Walls.
Only on 6th December 1991, Stradun, the main street in the Old City, received 45 direct hits which created 80 to 160 cm wide and 2 to 70 cm deep craters in the stone pavement. Other streets and squares suffered a similar fate and so did city staircases, including the BBaroque stairs leading to the Jesuits' St. Ignatius Church which were hit in May 1992. Further damage was inflicted on city streets on 19th June 1992, when the medieval sewage system was damaged too.
From October 1991 until June 1992 the Great Onofrio Fountain and the Amerling Fountain – both in the Old City – suffered severe damage, and so did the Rendić Fountain on the Pile Plateau.
In that period the City Walls and their fortifications received 118 direct shell hits. The stone benches and the balustrade on the bridge on Pile Gate were damaged as well. Other prominent damaged sites include St. John's Fortress, Minčeta Tower, Fort Bokar, Pile Bastion, St. Francis’ Tower, St. Catherine’s Fort, Ploče Fort, Puncjela Tower and Upper Corner Tower, crenellations and parapet walls in several locations, St. Lucy’s Turret and St. Margaret’s Bastion. Besides directs hits, indirect shrapnel hits proved to be extremely harmful as well. They were hardly discernible at first, but over time the damaged walls started letting through contents of the atmosphere, which caused serious damage.