Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea, in the region of Dalmatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport and the center of Dubrovnik-Neretva County.

The prosperity of the city was historically based on maritime trade; as the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilleddiplomacy. The historical Latin and Dalmatian name of Dubrovnik is Ragusa. The current name was officially adopted in 1918 after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but was in use from the Middle Ages.The name is from dubrava, which means "oak grove". Dub in the Croatian language means "oak".

The finest Renaissance highlight is the Sponza Palace which dates from the 16th century and is currently used to house the National Archives. Dubrovnik includes a number of famous buildings such as the Onofrio's Fountain, Monastery of St. Clare, St. Saviour Church, Franciscan Church, Monastery of the Friars Minor, Birthplace of Ivo Vojnovic, Palace "Sponza" steeple "Puddle", Bell Tower, Little Onofrio Fountain, Orlando's column, building the main guard, and Church of St. Blaise, built in the 18th century in honour of Dubrovnik's patron saint.

In the historic centers within the city there are many taverns and restaurants with a special offer nearly all kinds of Mediterranean specialties, while in nearby souvenir shops can buy typical souvenirs Dubrovnik - delicacies, filigree jewelry, Bronze Saint Blaise or embroidery.

A feature of Dubrovnik is its walls that run almost 2 km around the city. The walls run from 4 to 6 metres thick on the landward side but are much thinner on the seaward side. The system of turrets and towers were intended to protect the vulnerable city. The walls of Dubrovnik have also been a popular filming site for the fictional city of King's Landing in the HBO television series "Game of Thrones".

Dubrovnik has an international airport of its own. It is located approximately 22 km southeast of Dubrovnik city centre, near Ćilipi. Buses connect the airport with the Dubrovnik old main bus station in Gruž. In addition, a network of modern, local buses connects all Dubrovnik neighbourhoods running frequently from dawn to midnight.

With a favorable climate, historical heritage and prestigious cultural events, Dubrovnik is the perfect holiday destination, where every generation can find their ideal place.

Maribor is the second-largest city in Slovenia with about 95,500 inhabitants, it's also the largest city of the traditional region of Lower Styria and the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor.

Maribor was first mentioned as a market near the castle Castrum Marchburch ("March Castle") in 1204, and received town privileges in 1254. It began to grow rapidly after the victory of Rudolf I of the Habsburg dynasty over King Otakar II of Bohemia in 1278. Maribor withstood sieges by Matthias Corvinus in 1480/1481 and by the Ottoman Empire in 1532 and 1683.

Maribor has a humid continental climate, bordering on oceanic climate. Average temperatures hover around zero degrees Celsius during the winter. Summers are generally warm. Average temperatures during the city's warmest month (July) exceed 20 degrees Celsius, which is one of the main reasons for the Maribor wine tradition.

Many historical structures stand in Maribor. Of the remains of city walls surrounding the old downtown, the most prominent are the Judgement Tower, the Water Tower, and the Jewish Tower. Maribor Cathedral was built in the Gothic style in the 13th century. Maribor Synagogue was built in the 14th century, and is the second oldest synagogue of Europe. Today it serves as a centre for cultural activities. Other prominent Medieval buildings are Maribor Castle, Betnava Castle, and the ruins of Upper Maribor Castle on Pyramid Hill. Town Hall was constructed in the Renaissance style, and the Plague Column in the Baroque style.

The city hosts the University of Maribor, established in 1975, and many other schools.

Every June, the two-week Lent Festival (named after the waterfront district called Lent) is held, with hundreds of musical, theatrical and other events. Every year the festival attracts theatre, opera, ballet performers, classical, modern, and jazz musicians and dancers from all over the world, and of course many visitors. There is also mime, magic shows are being held and acrobats perform during the festival.

Maribor is known for wine and culinary specialities of international and Slovene. There are also many popular restaurants with Serbian cuisine. The Vinag Wine Cellar (Vinagova vinska klet), with the area of 20.000 m2 and the length of 2 kilometres, keeps 5,5 millions litres of wine. The house of the oldest grapevine in the world (Hiša stare trte) at Lent grows the world's oldest grapevine, which was in 2004 recorded in Guinness World Records. The grapevine of Žametovka is about 440 years old.