Urban Development of Rab: Middle street

U radu su opisani i analizirani najvažniji graditeljski spomenici te ostatci arhitektonske plastike smješteni u rapskoj Srednjoj ulici i njezinoj bližoj okolici. Kako bi se olakšalo razumijevanje konteksta nastanka graditeljske baštine, odnosno umjetničke topografije grada Raba, pojašnjena je povijest samoga otoka, a opisane su i teze koje govore o nastanku i urbanističkom razvoju grada. Zbog nedovoljne arheološke istraženosti grada, nepoznati su nam predrimski i rimski lokaliteti, kao i opseg Raba u to vrijeme. Razdoblje srednjeg vijeka od XI. do XIII. stoljeća obilježeno je blagostanjem, graditeljskim uzletom i širenjem grada, a zbog izgradnje sakralnih objekata, tri crkvena zvonika, gradskih zidina i javnih spomenika, grad Rab se smatra romaničkim gradom. Nakon stagnacije uzrokovane gospodarskom krizom i ratovima, novi graditeljski uzlet u gradu zbivao se polovicom XV. i početkom XVI. stoljeća kada su u gradu boravili afirmirani umjetnici poput Andrije Alešija i Petra Radova Trogiranina koji su svoja djela, između ostalog, ostvarili i na kućama duž Srednje ulice. Upravo je iz tog perioda, dakle iz kasnog srednjeg vijeka, najviše sačuvanih građevina u Srednjoj ulici, međutim, postojanje romaničkih građevina na cijeloj površini grada potvrđuju izgrađenost grada već u to romaničko doba koje je, stilski gledano, u arhitekturi grada ostalo gotovo do XIV. stoljeća.The paper gives a short description and analysis of the most important architectural monuments and remains of architectural stonework located in Middle Street in Rab and its surroundings, which helps the dating of this part of town. In order to facilitate the understanding of the construction of the architectural heritage and the artistic topography of the city of Rab, the history of the island has been clarified and the theses about the emergence and urban development of the city have been described. Due to the insufficient archeological exploration of the city, the Pre-Roman and Roman sites are unknown as well as the city area at that time. Period from 11th to 13th centuries was marked by the prosperity, the building's rise and the expansion of the city, and because of the construction of famous sacral buildings, three church belltowers, city walls and public monuments, Rab is considered a Romanesque town. After the stagnation caused by the economic crisis and wars, a new build-up in the city took place in the middle of the 15th and in the beginning of the 16th century when artists such as Andrija Aleši and Petar Radov Trogiranin were in the town. Most of the preserved buildings in the Middle Street dates from this period, that is, from the Late Middle Ages. However, the existence of Romanesque buildings on the whole surface of the city, confirms that the city was already built in this Romanesque era, which, in style, remained in the architecture of the city until the 14th century