The City of Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a beautiful old city on the Dalmatian coast. Founded in the 7th Century, it has a long and fascinating history. (See the City of Dubrovnik Web site and the Wikipedia entry for Dubrovnik for additional information.) There are several online travel guides with very useful information including maps, photos, and other tourist information. See, for example the Dubrovnik Online Travel Guide.
Dubrovnik’s climate is mild with average temperatures in May and June ranging from the mid 50s to the low 80s (Fahrenheit) with relatively little chance of rain through this period. You can find the current weather forecast for Dubrovnik here.
The IUC
The Inter University Centre in Dubrovnik (IUC), which provides facilities for the conference, describes its mission and history as follows:
The IUC is an independent international institution for advanced studies. It is a meeting ground for learning and scholarship which is co-sponsored by some two hundred member universities and institutions of higher learning around the world.
Founded in 1971 at the height of the Cold War, the IUC became one of the most important venues for the exchange of ideas by scholars from both the East and West. Over the years, more than 40,000 scholars and students have participated in the Centre's courses and conferences.
Based in Dubrovnik, Croatia, formerly a self-governing Mediterranean city-state, at the crossroads of various cultural and political influences, the IUC is currently building on its past achievements and traditions under a new set of challenging circumstances. It is maintaining high standards of independent scholarship, but at the same time, it is looking for opportunities in bridge-building in a region and the world that must continue to rededicate itself to pluralism.
The IUC is now especially keen on promoting specialized postgraduate education that will take into account both the regional issues and the overarching challenges of globalism.
The international agenda in various disciplines, notably in the social sciences and in the humanities, will certainly be informed by the issues of post-communism and European integration, especially with an eye on the stabilization of Southeastern Europe.
The IUC Web site also has useful travel information.
Travel and Accommodations
It is often cheaper (sometimes much cheaper) to arrange your travel to Dubrovnik in two separate round trip flights: one from a convenient location by you to a major European city and a separate reservation, made directly with an airline serving the Dubrovnik airport, for travel between that city and Dubrovnik. You can see the flights in and out of Dubrovnik by going to the Dubrovnik Airport website. The airport is located some distance from the city. Transport from the airport to city can be by regular bus (about 5 Euros), shuttle (about 13 Euros), or taxi (about 60 Euros, with a maximum of 3 people per cab). Transport other than by regular bus should be booked in advance.
Because Dubrovnik is so beautiful, it is an increasingly popular tourist destination. Many Europeans take a holiday in June and, so, there is heavy demand on hotels at the time of the conference. It is extremely important to arrange your lodging to ensure a good location. In addition to hotels, there are many private apartments for rent which can be located through a travel agency or a variety of on-line resources easily located through a web search.