'Robin Hood' Filmmakers Accused of Damaging Dubrovnik

The authorities in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik have been accused of "reckless degradation" of the city's heritage in connection with the filming there of the Hollywood blockbuster Robin Hood: Origins, starring academy award-winner Jamie Fox as Little John.

Croatia's Society of Art Historians, DPUH, on Thursday condemned the "reckless attitude towards the monumental centre of Dubrovnik for the purposes of the film", accusing the city of allowing the "shameful degradation of one of the most important Croatian monuments".

The DPUH said it particularly objected to the way parts of the Old Town and its walls were covered in wooden structures to support the scenery of a medieval town, allegedly installed without due security measures.

The DPUH also complained that the horses used on the set did not have their hoofs protected, posing a threat to the original stone cobbles.

It also said heavy trucks and cranes were used in the central street in the Old Town, Stradun, where video crews were sleeping and working.

"The highlight was the final scene of the ignition of a quasi-village in Posat [an area by the town walls], which was shown as a 'special effect', when in fact, it was a controlled wildfire," the association wrote.

DPUH claims that neither the present mayor nor the former mayor, Andro Vlahusic - who arranged the deal with the producers - or the city authorities have the right "use the town in any way they want, especially not as a commercial resource".

"Dubrovnik is a national and world cultural monument, and the duty of the present generation is to pass it over to the future in the best condition possible," it concluded, adding that it informed all relevant state and international institutions of the issue.

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