To mark the 600th anniversary of the installation of Orlando's Column, the city of Dubrovnik has declared 2019 the "Year of Orlando". Orlando's Column was made by Bonino di Jacopo from Milan with the help of local master Antun Raguseo. Besides representing the main secular symbol of the Ragusan state (its religious equivalent is St Blaise), Orlando's Column also carried the pole on which the Ragusan flag was raised. Public proclamations were usually made from the top of the Column and public punishments were carried out at the site. At the feet of the knight was the standard for merchant's clothing - the Ragusan el ('lakat') measuring 51.2 cm. Both the standard and its length correspond to the length of Orlando's right forearm (the arm in which he holds the sword). When Dubrovnik was conquered by Napoleon in 1806 and incorporated into the Habsburg monarchy at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Orlando also experienced hard times. Taking advantage of the fact that Orlando's Column crashed in a strong gust of wind in 1825, the Habsburgs removed the Column, the symbol of the former Ragusa, and placed it in the basement of the Rector's Palace. By popular demand, the Column was brought back for St Blaise's Church, but not until 1878.
The Dutch artist Mirso Bajramovic lives and works in Gennep, North Limburg. Mirso grew up in Sarajevo and initially earned his money as a street artist. Undeniably, these years influenced him and made him the artist he is today. Mirso's work has been shown in more than thirty.. Read more…