Ston was a military fort of the Ragusan Republic whose defensive walls are a notable feat of medieval architecture: there is an 890 meters long town wall and 5 km Great Wall outside the town.

Fortifications at StonThe walls extend to Mali Ston (the little Ston), a smaller town on the northern side of the Pelješac isthmus and the end of the Gulf of Mali Ston (Malostonski zaljev), notable for its mariculture.

Ston is also well known for its saltworks which were highly coveted by both the Republic of Dubrovnik and the Ottoman Empire.