Found in Dalmatia in the south of Croatia, the walls were originally built to protect the city of Ston in the 14th century.

They were built after Ston became part of the Republic of Dubrovnik, and were used to defend the Republic.

While not quite as well know, the Walls of Ston are actually the second longest defensive walls in the world – after the Great Wall of China.

It measures just 5km in length now, compared to the 21,196km of the Chinese..

The wall originally measured around 7km, with a height between five and ten metres, although part of the wall collapsed following a number of earthquakes, according to the Ston Tourist Board.



The resemblance between the two walls has led to the Walls of Ston being referred to as the "European Wall of China".

During the time of the Republic, a large part of the wealth was created through their salt pans.

Salt was used as payment and was similar in value to gold, which was why the strong defence system was needed.



Despite the walls surviving invasions, they were badly damaged after an earthquake in 1996, according to Atlas Obscura, which led to a restoration project.

Travellers heading to Croatia can visit the walls and walk along them, with the ancient defence system just an hour by road from Dubrovnik.

Tourists can even run the Ston Wall Marathon, an annual event between 4km and 42m with just a couple of hundred competitors every year.

Despite the history of the Walls of Ston, the Great Wall of China is still one of the most popular "bucket list" attractions for Brits, according to a recent study.

In a poll of 2,000 adults, one in four admitted it was the number one sight they want to see.

A recent publicity stunt even allowed tourists to stay on the Great Wall with Airbnb, although an online backlash led to it being scrapped.

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