Just a short boat ride from the walls of Dubrovnik lies the beautiful island of Lokrum. Today, it is famous for its pine forests, peacocks, botanical gardens, crystal-clear sea — and, of course, its connection to Game of Thrones.
But Lokrum also has a darker story.
According to local legend, the curse of Lokrum began in 1798.
For centuries, Benedictine monks had lived on the island. But in 1798, the Republic of Ragusa — today’s Dubrovnik — ordered them to leave.
The legend says that on their final night, the monks celebrated one last Mass in the monastery church. Wearing black robes and carrying candles upside down, they walked around the island three times in silence. As the hot wax dripped onto the ground, they supposedly pronounced a terrible curse:
“Cursed be anyone who acquires Lokrum for their own pleasure.”
On 7 August 1798, the monks left Lokrum — and, according to the legend, never returned.
And then the strange events began.
In 1803, three Dubrovnik nobles acquired the island. According to the story, all three later met tragic ends: one fell from a window, another drowned, and the third took his own life.
The curse then seemed to follow the island through the generations.
One of the most famous owners was Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, who acquired Lokrum in 1859. He transformed the old monastery into a magnificent residence and created the beautiful gardens that visitors can still see today.
But Maximilian’s story took a tragic turn.
In 1864, he accepted the crown of Mexico and became Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. Just three years later, in 1867, he was executed by firing squad.
His wife, Charlotte of Belgium, suffered a severe mental breakdown and spent the rest of her life in isolation.
Then came another connection to European royalty.
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria visited Lokrum. In 1889, his life ended in the tragic Mayerling incident.
And perhaps the strangest chapter of all concerns Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.
They had planned to spend the summer of 1914 on Lokrum. But their plans changed, and they travelled instead to Sarajevo.
On 28 June 1914, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were assassinated in Sarajevo — an event that helped trigger the First World War.
So the question remains:
Was Lokrum really cursed?
Of course, there is no proof of a supernatural curse. Many of these stories have been shaped and retold over generations.
But there is one tradition that visitors still take seriously.
People say that tourists who take stones, shells, pinecones or peacock feathers from Lokrum sometimes experience bad luck — and later send the objects back to the island in the mail.
So if you visit Lokrum, remember the old rule:
Take photographs. Take memories.
But don’t take anything from the island.
Because, according to the legend, Lokrum may welcome you as a visitor — but it does not want you to take a piece of it home.