MUO

On the rocky cape at the south eastern part of the city harbour, at the site of today’s Fortress of St. John, built in the mid-16th century, there was a pier called Muo. This pier was used for unloading construction material (lime and stone) when weather permitting, and from it, there was initially access to the Penalty Tower (Kaznena kula).

The pier was accessed through Gundulic Tower (Gundulićeva kula). The gate regulating access to Muo has been preserved to this day in the ground floor of the Fortress of St. John where the Aquarium is located. The keys to the gate were entrusted to the harbour chain guard, who also controlled the unloading of cargo at the embankment.

The guard lived on Muo and had access to the city wall via a staircase. His house was located in the northern part of Muo, which was initially a free, manoeuvrable space, from where, by the mid-14th century, the harbour chain was stretched towards the Penalty Tower (Kaznena kula), protecting the harbour and the entrance to so-called inner sea.

The change in the method of securing the harbour chain and the construction of the harbour and chain guard’s house in the first half of the 15th century likely led to the expansion and the extension of the harbour pier. In the mid-15th century, a turret (toreta) was built around Muo, a semi-circular wall with a by-pass corridor and staircase for exit, to control access.

The wall of the turret continued onto the eastern outer defensive wall.